Partners - A Marauders What-If
by Syilline
Summary: What if Sirius Black is forced to join the Auror Office - taking it by storm? What if Voldemort never killed James and Lily? What if the First Wizarding War is ongoing, but the tides have turned? And what if James Potter has a little sister, six years his junior, who is just beginning her carrier? This is an exercise in "What-If."
1. The Auror Office

May 5, 1987

Callie Potter stepped out of the elevator, steeling herself and steadying her trembling hands. This was it. This was the day her life changed forever… if she lived long enough. She walked across the hallway, knees nearly knocking, took a deep breath, and opened the door labeled: "Auror Office".

She was struck by the noise and bustle of the enormous room, like the Daily Prophet after a major incident. People shouted over each other, ran around the room carrying parchment and quills and sporting injuries, some of which looked nasty. She approached the nearest desk, clutching a portfolio. "Excuse me," she said. The woman looked up, her eyes discerning but not unkind. "I'm Callie Potter, and I'm here to-"

"Oh, you're the new girl!" The woman stood up, smiling, and extended her hand. "Denise Wilde. Pleasure to meet you. I assume you haven't met your Supervising Officer yet?"

Callie shook Denise's hand and returned the smile. "No, I haven't. I'm not even sure who it is."

Denise took the portfolio from her hands and opened it. She scanned several lines, grinned, and handed it back. "Lucky you. He's over there." She pointed to a desk several yards away, behind which a man sat studying a report. "I'll warn you, though: He believes strongly in the sink or swim method."

"He looks nice enough," Callie muttered to herself.

Denise's grin widened. "Oh, he is. Reformed the whole bloody office, he did. Took ideas from the Muggle MI-6 and CIA, I think. You'd best keep on your toes, though."

"Has he ever trained anyone before?"

"Not officially." Denise looked at her. "Go on, say hi." She gave her a little push, a wink, and a reassuring smile. "Tell him I sent you."

Callie glanced back uncertainly. Her heart beat wildly. She forced her knees to stop shaking, reprimanded herself for being so nervous, and marched to his desk.

"McKinnon! Get me everything we've got on the Malfoys!" the black-haired man shouted across the room. Callie could tell he was the sort of person people followed, even if they didn't quite know why. When he didn't acknowledge her, she cleared her throat. The man held up an impatient hand, finished scanning the last few lines of cramped writing on the parchment in front of him, and said, "Who are you?" without looking up.

Confused and a little put-off, Callie replied, "I'm the new Auror." She held out her file, and he took it deftly.

Long fingers opened it and scanned over the first page. She took the time to look him over. His face bore all the marks of a well-bred family. The stubble along his jaw spoke of days in the office and the dark circles under his eyes told of long, sleepless nights, but neither could conceal the fact that he was most definitely one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

He finally looked up at her out of startlingly clear silver eyes, and smirked in a familiar, confident way. "Callie Potter," he said. "You've grown up."

It struck her like a bolt of lightning. Long-forgotten memories of her brother's best friends flooded into her mind, and she vaguely remembered James telling her she'd already got a friend in the Auror office. She'd no idea he'd meant his own best friend!

"Sirius Black," she responded. Her face broke into a wide smile. "James didn't tell me you were an Auror."

"I think he did." Sirius grinned, and she saw that sixteen-year-old runaway peeking around her family's kitchen door in search of a midnight snack and catching her red-handed with a forbidden cookie in her ten-year-old hand. He stood up and gave her a once-over. "Merlin's pants. James said you were coming, but I was rather expecting that little girl who used to spy on us."

Callie chuckled. "Well, sorry to disappoint."

"No, no, I'm not disappointed." He smirked mischievously. "We always seem to be missing each other, don't we? What's it been, eight years?"

"Nine. Still got that motorbike?"

"Are you kidding? It'll be a cold day in Hell before I give that thing up."

"It used to scare mum to death. She swore you'd crash it and kill yourself."

"And yet, here I am." He smirked. "And here you are. The first Potter in Slytherin for a century, and the first Black in Gryffindor for longer than that. We should get along swimmingly." He walked around his desk and faced her. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the desktop, regarding her thoughtfully. "So tell me: What made little Callie Potter decide to be an Auror?"

Callie responded automatically, mind turning back to those months of horrors before the war turned in their favor. "I was in Slytherin during a hard time. My friends were dropping out of school to join their parents under Voldemort, or to join their parents in hiding. With my own family in Gryffindor, and my own brother on the front lines, I felt guilty for not being able to do anything to help." Sirius nodded in understanding. She continued, "It felt wrong not to do anything, and I've always loved dueling, so I thought this would be the best place for me."

Sirius chuckled. "Being an Auror is a lot more than dueling. It's a lot of investigative work." He picked up her file from behind him again and flicked through a few pages. "Top marks in Defense, Potions, History… Played Quidditch as a Seeker… Recommendations by Dumbledore himself. Very impressive." He glanced up at her. "Any experience?"

"Not much to speak of." She paused nervously, biting her lower lip. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's just something I'd like to focus on first. I'll be training you."

Something in the way he said this made her frown in suspicion. He was smirking. "Wait…" Callie said slowly. "Did James put you up to this?"

"Of course he did, but I'm pleased to do it. Getting to train my best mate's little sister in the art of detection, dueling, and seduction will be a blast."

Callie raised an eyebrow. "That last one?"

He leaned in with a devious smirk and whispered, "The thrill is in the chase, never in the capture." He winked and walked back around his desk. He sat down and reclined, leaning his chair back on two legs. "So tell me a little more about yourself. Your likes, dislikes, anything pertinent that a future partner might need to know."

Slightly put-off, she hesitated. Nothing really came to mind. "Well, I'm best at dueling-"

"Not what I meant," Sirius interrupted. He put a finger to his lips and regarded her carefully for a moment. "Who is Callie Potter? What are her likes, dislikes, how does she take her tea?"

Surprised again. _Why would he need to know that?_ "I'm sorry… why is this relevant?"

"We're going to be working together, aren't we? I don't want all my information about you to come from James and a lump of parchment." He seemed to sense that she had no idea where to begin, so he continued. "I like Quidditch, I listen to Muggle rock music, and I hate wearing these blasted wizard robes. Your turn."

She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a hand appearing over her shoulder, holding out a stack of papers. "Everything we've got on the Malfoys, as ordered." Callie turned to see a tall witch. She was pretty, except for the scar in her right cheek.

Sirius took the file with a smile and introduced the two women. "Callie, this is Marlene McKinnon. Mar, this is Callie Potter."

Marlene smiled and shook Callie's hand. "Sirius' new protégé." She chuckled. "It's nice to meet you. You're James' little sister, right? Sirius said James asked him to keep an eye on you. Be careful with this one; he's a bit mad."

Sirius faked an indignant expression. "Mad? You think she'd have more respect for her ex-partner. I've saved her arse enough times."

Marlene laughed. "And I've saved yours just as much." She turned back to Callie. "Really, though, best of luck. We can always use the extra pair of hands." She looked at Sirius pointedly. "Be nice."

"Me? Never." He smirked. "Get back to work. You've got another two years before retirement kicks in."

She gave him a rude gesture, but the sparkle in her eyes rather ruined the affect. She smiled encouragingly at Callie before disappearing again. Callie turned to Sirius slowly. "I thought there were rules against 'fraternizing' with other Aurors."

Sirius looked impressed. "Officially, by law, I'm required to say there are." He winked. "But things have changed around here, and they continue to change every day, so don't worry about that." He grinned, and let his chair fall back with a bang. "You'll have Death Eaters to worry about soon enough." He stood and rummaged through the files in a cabinet for a moment before withdrawing one with an ugly, scarred face staring out of the picture on the front. "We're going after this one first. He's small beans, but it'll get your feet wet. Read over the file tonight and make a note of what you think is important. I'll come get you in the morning."

Callie took the file, hand trembling a little. The face leered up at her, daring her to try him. She took a breath, let it out, and looked up again. "I won't need to come into the office?"

"You rarely will. We're only ever here for research or to write reports. The real job's out there." He pointed to the farthest wall with a grin. "You'll get used to it. You didn't join the Auror Department for a comfy desk job, did you?"

Callie shook her head. She tried to think of something else to say, anything that didn't sound stupid, but nothing came to her. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Sirius nodded. "Looking forward to it." He flashed her a smile. "I'm sure you won't disappoint."

Already feeling like she was destined to disappoint him, Callie turned and strode out of the office. The room seemed louder than ever, and the outside world seemed a little darker and more wild. Hyper aware of every shadow, she went home, locked her door, and settled down to read and reread her target's file, praying she wouldn't disappoint Sirius Black.


	2. The Double-Act

September 20, 1987

Callie quickly learned that Sirius Black was not the kind of Supervising Officer to train his subjects gently. It was more like he threw her head-first into the worst, most reckless missions he could find. If he could help it, he'd never bring backup. He preferred to teach in the thick of things, coaching her on blending into the shadows or drawing an imaginary line from her hand, through her wand, to the target to help her aim. He could be fighting three Death Eaters simultaneously, and yet never lose sight of her for a second. His easily-bored mind was never happier than when it was forced to focus on several things at once. He was absolutely the best Auror on staff.

One night in late summer, four months after she first began work for the Ministry, Callie and Sirius were crouched outside a tall, ramshackle house. It resembled a dead bird, with a short section in the middle and two wings stretched out on either side, climbing up into the night.

"We're after the Carrow siblings," Sirius whispered. "Death Eater double-act. They work well together, so keep your guard up. Separate them. They're much less of a threat alone."

News of Amycus and Alecto Carrow had spread through the office like wildfire after their recent terrorist activities. They'd killed three Muggles and one Squib on a street corner in Devon. Eyewitnesses confirmed it was them. Three months previously they'd tortured a former Hogwarts professor to near-insanity. He was still in St. Mungo's. They were lethal killing-machines, dogs of the Dark Lord, in the words of other Death Eaters. Ferocious, but also off their rockers.

Sirius crept around to the back door, a solid wall of oak. "Revelio," he whispered. A door knob sprang to existence. After a simple unlocking charm and a grin at his partner, Sirius led the way into the dark room beyond. Callie tiptoed after him, keeping a firm grip on her wand. The door opened into a wide hall, doors branching off every few feet. Paintings of horrid, proud-looking men and women stared down from their ornate frames. They preened and leered, but remained silent. A faint scurrying punctuated the silence; rats in the walls.

Half-way through the hall, the back door closed with a slam. A scream tore from the painted throats of every portrait; an alarm. Startled, Callie put her hands to her ears to block out the horrible noise, disoriented. She felt a body slam into hers and push her against the wall as double streaks of green met exactly where she'd been standing.

" _Magnum Selintium!_ " a voice bellowed. The screaming abruptly ceased. Sirius forced her head down to avoid another Killing Curse and shot a Stinging Hex down one side of the hall.

Shaking herself, Callie turned and shouted, " _Reducto!_ "

Sirius grabbed her shoulders and shoved her through the nearest door. He slammed it shut and pushed her forward. "Run!" he yelled. She took off. The other end of the room showed another hall and a staircase. She bounded up the steps as a crash indicated they were being followed. Sirius shouted hexes and curses, firing them behind him, hot on Callie's heels. "Go! Higher!" She took the steps two at a time, climbing two more flights. She risked a look down, and saw two black-robed figures chasing after them.

" _Immobulus!_ " she shouted, aiming down at them. The spell glanced off a barrier around the first. Callie climbed higher. She shouted every hex she could think of down at them without really looking, knowing instinctually that getting to higher ground was the priority. Finally, they ran out of stairs. The path was blocked by a locked door. " _Reducto!_ " Callie shouted, putting as much energy into it as she could muster. The door blew into pieces, dissolving into dust. She bounded through the opening.

Warm, night air enveloped her. She could tell by the strength of the wind that they were several hundred feet above the ground. The flat roof stretched about a hundred feet before and behind her, ending in a short wall promising a sheer drop on the other side. Two chimneys stood on either end of the roof. All of this she took in in an instant. Sirius bounded up behind her a second later, nearly running into her back as she skid to a stop.

Sirius swore sharply. "No cover." He took her hand and pulled her behind the small, brick rise in the roof where the stairs ended. "Take opposite chimneys," he ordered. "It'll force them to split their focus."

Callie darted for the nearest chimney and ducked behind it. She turned just in time to see Sirius disappear from behind the opposite one. She took a moment to catch her breath. Silence descended again. The half-moon and the stars lit up the roof almost as if it were day. She watched the wide opening between herself and Sirius, waiting for a figure to emerge. Her body quivered in nervous anticipation.

A sharp pop sounded behind her. She turned. A sneering face bore down on her. " _Protego!"_ she screamed, just in time to deflect a nasty curse. She shot a jet of red sparks at the form of Alecto Carrow and dove out of the way. Multi-colored light flashed from the far end of the roof. Out in the open, her only option left was dueling.

Green light flashed at her. She scurried to the side. Alecto bore down on her, want tip flashing with nasty curses. Callie blocked or dodged most of them; Alecto wasn't a very good shot. She laughed too much and got too much pleasure out of it. She wasn't terribly fast, either. Callie parried and darted in distance. Alecto dove forward, the Killing Curse spilling from her mouth. Callie moved in, grabbed her wand arm, and shouted, " _Expelliarmus!_ " Alecto's wand shot from her hand. The Auror followed it up before Alecto could think with a binding spell. She grabbed the Death Eater's wand and snapped it in two, throwing the pieces off the roof for good measure.

Spells flashed on the other end of the roof. Amycus had managed to back Sirius up against the edge of the roof. The usually ambidextrous Auror was fighting only with his left hand. His right arm was covered with blood, and hanging limply. Callie ran toward them. She conjured ropes and sent them flying for the Death Eater. They struck him in the back, wrapping around his arms and chest, making him lose his balance. He toppled headfirst. Sirius stepped aside. Amycus bent over the wall and pitched forward.

Her heart stopped. She saw Sirius watched, unconcerned, as a human life fell as if in slow motion. Her gut clenched. She dove forward. Her fingers stretched out, wrapping around the last cord of rope. As she felt her body being pulled after the Death Eater, she shouted, " _Arresto Momentum!"_ She and Carrow stopped falling. " _Ascendio!"_ She dragged Carrow with her as the shot back up, landing rather roughly on the roof.

Sirius quickly stunned Amycus and grabbed Callie's arm, hauling her up. "Are you insane?" he demanded.

Callie glared at him, nervous, but sure of herself. "We don't kill people," she stated.

Sirius blinked. He looked at Amycus, then across the roof at Alecto, writhing and spitting curses. He stared back at Callie like he'd never quite seen her before. He paused. Callie wondered what he was going to say. The casual way he'd stepped aside and let a man fall to his death scared her a little, and she wondered if they had different views about what exactly was allowed when defeating Voldemort.

After a moment he nodded. "Quite right, Potter," he affirmed. He cracked a smile. "Azkaban is better for them, anyway."


	3. Painful Memories

January 13, 1988

Callie began to understand certain things about Sirius. Like how much he loved a good fight, and how annoyed he'd get when the opponent wasn't half-decent. And how he'd crumple the Daily Prophet in his fist when the headline read of more deaths. Sometimes, when he caught sight of danger, he'd go still, alert as a dog who's caught the scent of a rabbit. He was a dangerous man, unpredictable and unrestrained. He was all or nothing, hot or cold. What he hated, he hated with a fiery passion, quick to consume, and unrepentant. What he was indifferent to, he never spared a thought about. But when he cared, he cared fiercely. He poured his whole being into caring for the people he loved. He lived and would gladly die for them.

Callie talked to James about it over Christmas. James laughed at her observations about his old friend, and confirmed them all. He said Sirius hadn't changed a whole lot since Hogwarts. And he assured her that there was no one else in the world he trusted more, and Sirius had earned that trust time and time again.

Shortly after she returned to work, there was a lull in Death Eater activity. Sirius had her training with magical creatures until things picked back up. He obtained permission from Dumbledore to explore the Forbidden Forest. They encountered a heard of centaurs and watched a unicorn graze before nearly getting trampled by a stampede of thestrals. The beasts missed, but Sirius and Callie had to dive into a swamp to avoid being crushed, and came out dripping black ooze. Flinging mud as he shook his robes, Sirius said there was nothing for it, and as the night was freezing anyway, they may as well clean off someplace comfortable. He took her hand and apparated to a small, wooden building in a forest. He took out a rusty key, unlocked the front door, and ushered her inside.

The place was a mess of files, pictures, and enchanted string linking ideas together. Moving pictures of Death Eaters leered at them from the walls, surrounded by scribbled notes in Sirius' elegant writing. A large basin sat in a corner, casting shimmering light on the ceiling above it. Sirius took her through this room and a comparatively tidier kitchen to a small bathroom. "It's not much," he admitted, "but I use the space from time to time. It's handy in a pinch. You can shower first." He left and returned in a minute with an armful of clothes. "They'll be big, but you'll have to make due while yours dry."

Callie thanked him and shut the door. Shaking off the nervousness that he might walk back in and see her, she quickly disrobed and showered. The water was hot and gloriously relaxing. She let it drum against her shoulders, releasing the tension. She recognized the smell of his soap and shampoo from times when they had to crouch close together on missions. The last thing she wanted was to leave the warmth of the water, but she did so quickly, drying off and changing into his too-big pants and shirt. She looked at herself in the mirror, and shrank the clothes just a bit. As she walked out, she towel-dried her hair.

"Sirius?" she called. "I'm out."

She found him leaning over the basin in the corner, putting something thread-like and glimmering into the liquid. He looked up and eyed her up and down, smirking. "If I'd known you'd look that good in my clothes, I'd had lent them to you before."

She was used to his teasing by now, so she rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "I didn't know you had a Pensieve."

Sirius shrugged. By now, the mud had caked on him, making his skin and hair look brown. "It helps to clear the mind," he replied. "Trick Dumbledore taught me. This one used to belong to my family. Have a look." He nodded her over, allowing her to peer into the swirling liquid, catching glimpses of memory. "There's one in the Auror Office, by the East wall," he explained. "It's encouraged to unload baggage before you go into the field."

"Why?" Callie inquired, turning from the bowl to him.

The light cast from the Pensieve made his silver eyes glitter. "The Wizarding community isn't that big," he replied, but she detected a note of heaviness in his would-be careless tone. "A lot of the people we track down we either know, or they've killed someone we loved. It's easier not to carry those thoughts with you when you go to fight them. They just get in the way."

Callie watched him as he spoke. Even through the layer of mire, she could see an invisible weight pulling on his features, turning his face into a frown. There was pain in his eyes. "Isn't this like running away?" she asked quietly. "Dumping your memories in here so you don't have to deal with them?"

He thought before he answered, staring intently into the basin. "This isn't running away," he answered slowly. "It's letting go, temporarily, to prevent ourselves from doing something cowardly. After all," he met her eyes, giving her a meaningful look, "…we don't kill people." They stared at each other for a long moment, each reading the other. He looked pained, and a little sad, and it unnerved her. He took a step back after a moment and looked down at himself. "I'd better wash this off. Why don't you make us some tea? The kettle's on the stove."

She nodded, watching him retreat into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. She stared at the door for a moment, thinking about what he'd said. She wondered what memories he had that could make him kill someone.

Her eyes were drawn back to the shimmering basin. Shadows and highlights danced together in its depths. She found herself leaning forward to get a better look. Curiosity trickled through her mind, mingled with guilt and suspicion. She only meant to have a closer look. She didn't mean to touch it.

The tip of her nose tapped the liquid. Before she could stop herself, she tilted forward and fell into the pool. Colors flashed around her, slowly materializing into a dark hallway with a staircase to the side. She shook her head, trying to get her bearings. Voices cried from somewhere upstairs. _"Abhorrence!"_ It was a woman's voice, screeching at the top of her lungs. A loud crash followed, like glass breaking.

Callie cautiously stepped toward the stairs to investigate. A cry of, _"Blood traitor!"_ met her as her foot touched the first step. Something banged loudly. A door upstairs shattered into a million splinters. A figure fell through the broken pieces, leaving droplets of blood hanging in the air. He crashed into the opposite wall.

" _Vile! Repulsion!"_ He took a step toward the stairs, staggered, fell to his knees, and got up again.

" _Shame of my flesh!"_ He reached the stairs.

" _GET OUT!"_ The figure obliged.

He staggered as quickly as he could down the stairs toward Callie, covering his face with one arm, drops of blood trailing behind him. Hexes and curses following him. Callie flattened herself against the wall to let him pass. As he did, she distinctly saw, beneath the mess of blood and cuts, the sharp, angry eyes of her partner. He reached the door, tore it open, and disappeared into the night.

Scarcely a second after, a tall, sharp-featured woman, black hair trailing behind her and mouth pulled back in a snarl, barreled down the stairs. She screamed obscenities out of the open door, and wasn't half done when the setting blurred and melted.

Another scene took its place. Callie recognized the location as the last cabin on the Hogwarts Express. A red-haired girl lay on the floor, bruises and burns on her exposed skin. In front of her stood a cold seventeen-year-old Sirius, wand held out in front of him, pointed at the three students wearing Slytherin green. His snarl resembled his mother's. His hex was deflected, and his wand flew from his hand. Unarmed, defenseless, he still stood in front of Lily, using his body to shield her. Three voices shouted, " _Crucio!"_ Sirius fell to his knees. A blood-curdling scream tore from his throat.

The spell released, and he knelt, panting, on the floor, still protecting Lily. He looked up, and his eyes froze as they saw something beyond the three students torturing him. Callie turned to follow his gaze.

A boy a couple years younger, with Sirius' black hair and grey eyes, stood behind her. His eyes met Sirius'. For a moment, he seemed ready to help. But he stopped. He turned. He walked away.

" _Reg-!"_

Sirius' shout for his brother was cut off by another round of Unforgivable Curses. The episode turned to mist as three boys tore down the hall and let loose a volley of stinging hexes on the attackers.

The landscape shifted to form massive stone walls. She spotted Sirius, roughly twenty, chained to the wall, robes torn and flesh marred. His eyes were wide with horror, staring at the broken form of his best friend. A woman with knotted black hair and crooked wand stood over him, shouting curses, making James scream and writhe in agony.

Callie felt nauseated. She turned away. Another man she recognized as Remus Lupin pulled against his restraints, begging the woman to stop. Bellatrix Lestrange turned and fixed her heavily lidded eyes on him. She discarded James and advanced on Remus.

Sirius seemed to panic. He strained and cursed and swore vengeance, but it just made the Death Eater laugh. She grabbed Remus by the hair and jerked his head up. The tip of her wand dug into his neck. She turned to look at Sirius.

" _My poor, weak cousin,"_ she simpered. _"You of all people should know the price of defying the Dark Lord. Crucio!"_

Remus screamed. His body twitched horribly. Sirius growled deep in his throat. _"Let him go, Bellatrix!"_ he begged. He swore harshly. _"For the love of God, let him go!"_

Bellatrix cackled, releasing the curse. Remus hung limp, panting, wincing. _"God?"_ she mocked. _"Dear Sirius, not even He can help them now. Soon you'll die, but I'll make you watch them die first."_ She shouted another curse Callie didn't recognize. Great, bloody gashes appeared in Remus' chest. Sirius strained harder, but it did no good.

Callie felt a firm grip on her arm. She turned quickly to see another, older Sirius beside her. He glanced around them, then fixed her with a cold look. With a sharp tug, he dragged her out of the Pensieve and back into the present.

Callie reeled back. Her back hit the wall. She leaned against it, getting her heart rate under control, breathing hard. Her gaze snapped from the Pensieve to Sirius. He was staring at her, arms crossed, brimming with cold fury. She waited for him to shout, or storm out, or do _anything._ Minutes went by, neither of them speaking, both staring at the other.

Finally, Sirius sighed. He grabbed a black drape from the floor and tossed it over the bowl, putting out the light dancing on the ceiling. He ran a hand through his wet hair and sighed again. "Still think I'm running away?"

Callie shook her head mutely. "I'm… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

Sirius held up his hand to stop her. "It's my own fault. I should have known better than to leave you in the same room as that thing." He paused. "You just saw your own brother get tortured. Are you alright?"

She tried to nod, but couldn't bring herself to. Her knees shook. James' suffering wasn't the only thing that made her insides squirm. She could remember a bloodied, pale Sirius staggering into her home when she was ten, but she'd accepted her parents' explanation that he'd just tripped. She'd known his family was horrible, she'd even seen one of them arrested, but she'd never given it much thought.

So many things that didn't make sense about him fell into place. She understood why she'd never seen anyone but James, Remus, and Peter touch him without him getting defensive. She understood why he never really talked much about his family. She understood what must have made him like this, what made him hate the Death Eaters so much.

He took a step toward her, brows furrowed in concerned. "You're pale. Do you need to sit down?"

It was impulsive, she knew, but she hated what he'd gone through and she hated how he must feel alone. She closed the space between them and hugged him tightly. Startled, Sirius stiffened. She didn't let go. She felt his muscles slowly soften through his thin shirt. His arms wrapped around her back and he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Merlin's beard," he chuckled, "I'm alright. Really."

Callie shook her head against him. "No, you're not," she said. "Sirius, it's okay. It's okay to not be okay."

He stiffened a little, and she knew he didn't really believe her. But he sighed and hugged her just a little tighter. They stayed like that for a while. When she pulled away, Sirius rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it's late," he said. "I think I have something to eat in the kitchen. After that, we should get some sleep." He backed away and pointed to the right. "The bedroom's down there. You're welcome to it; I'll take the couch."

They busied themselves with finding enough edible things to make a decent meal out of. They ate together in a companionable, albeit slightly awkward silence. The Pensieve sat in the corner, covered up, out of sight but not out of mind. When they finished eating, Callie cleared the table and washed the dishes while Sirius made up the couch. He told her where he kept his clothes, saying she could wear one of his shirts to bed if she wanted. She turned to go.

"Callie," he said, stopping her. She turned and looked at him. He hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and looked into her eyes. "Thank you."

She wasn't quite sure what he was thanking her for, but she nodded and smiled. "Goodnight, Sirius."

He smiled back. "Goodnight."


	4. Unforgivable

March 17, 1988

"Congratulations!" James shouted, pulling his sister into a bone-crushing hug. "You made it!"

Callie laughed. "Thanks, James."

He pulled away and held her at arms-length to look at her. The warm lights from the ceiling of his home made everything look cheery and welcoming. "And not a scratch on you! Sirius, you're better than I thought."

Sirius raised his glass in salute from across the room. "All I did was guide her along. She did the hard part herself."

Lily pressed a glass of warm butterbeer into Callie's hand and gave her a squeeze. She was rather plump, expecting her third child, but glowing with pride and happiness. "We're all really proud of you. So what's the next step?"

"She was given her badge today, so she's official now," Sirius answered. "Next she'll be assigned a partner. She'll work with them for a year or so until the Powers That Be decide she's ready to go out on her own."

A crash from upstairs made all but Lily jump. The two Potter children were supposed to be asleep in their beds. Lily merely sighed. "Excuse me. That'll be our son trying to break our daughter out of Azkaban."

Sirius choked on his drink. He gave a laugh that was half a cough. "What?"

"Since you told him those stupid stories about Azkaban, he's convinced that's what his sister's crib is!" Lily snapped. "So thank you for that."

Sirius grinned. "Hey, at least he loves his sister." He set his glass down. "I've got this one, Lils; you take a load off."

"Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?"

"Let him." James grinned. "Harry hasn't seen his Uncle Padfoot in a while. Best of luck, though, mate."

Sirius pulled his coat off and draped it over the back of the chair. He rolled his sleeves down and headed for the stairs. "I think I can handle an eight-year-old, thank you." He flashed them a grin and disappeared.

James laughed. "What an idiot." He sank back on the couch. Clearly happily at home with his wife and kids, James retained the youthful spark in his eyes he'd always had, though behind it was a stony sign of maturity at the price of pain. Lily sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. Callie watched them for a moment, smiling to herself. They really were adorably well suited for each other.

"Callie," Lily said suddenly, "has Sirius been behaving himself?"

Callie took a chair facing them and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He's so reckless. He's going to get himself killed one of these days," James muttered. The worry line on his forehead grew deeper.

Lily nodded. "We have a request." She paused. Callie could see her hesitation to speak. She prompted her sister-in-law to go on. Lily drew a deep breath. "The Auror Office will ask you who you want to partner with," she said. "Sirius has always been a bit of loner, and… well…"

"You've been really good for him," James broke in. "Having someone on his heels who he can look out for, who's counting on him, has done wonders. And now that you're a full-fledged Auror, you'll be able to watch his back, too."

"You want me to request Sirius as a permanent partner," Callie translated. The couple nodded. The Auror sat back and considered for a moment. "He's a handful," she admitted, "but there's no one else I'd rather pair up with. The only question is whether or not he'll accept."

James grinned. "Leave that to us. You don't mind if we play up your innocence, do you?"

Callie laughed. "I'm sure he's already thinking whatever you'll 'play up,' so have at it."

"He's awfully fond of you," Lily said with a smile. "It won't be too hard to convince him."

Sirius bolted into the room. The three of them looked up, startled. He was pale. "Callie, we've got to go! The Dark Mark has been sighted nearby." He yanked his coat back on.

Callie sprang to her feet. "Where?"

"Near the Claybourne's home." He turned to Lily. "Harry's back in bed; no harm done. Thanks for having us."

Callie paled. James looked at her in concern. "Isn't Elizabeth Claybourne your friend?"

Callie grabbed her coat and pulled her wand out. She ran out the door, Sirius hot on her heels. She apparated the moment she stepped outside. Stomach squirming, she barely had time to register the Dark Mark clouding the sky as she charged into the burning house. Someone behind her shouted her name, but she didn't stop. Flames danced around her. Her coat caught fire; she flung it off. A wall of flames flared up between her and the staircase. She screamed the Water Making Spell, her own voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. The curtain of flames parted. She leapt through.

Twice her foot broke through the burning boards. Once she was nearly crushed by a falling beam. Smoke burned her eyes and throat. She made it to the second floor and ran down the hallway. The door on the end was her friend's bedroom.

A masked figure stood in the middle of the room, wand arm still out. The flames were already licking up four bodies on the floor in the corner. Callie stifled a scream of horror. Her friend's face was turned toward her, eyes vacant, face still drawn back in fear. The Death Eater turned to stare at her through the empty holes in its silver mask.

A wave of fury, hotter than the flames around her, engulfed Callie. Her vision darkened. She gripped her wand tighter, pointing it at the Death Eater's heart. A jet of light flew from his wand up. Callie threw it aside. Waving her wand in every pattern, she screamed curses. The Death Eater could hardly keep up. The floor gave way beneath him. Callie jumped down after him, heedless of the fire burning around her. She saw him disappear around a corner and gave chase. It blasted its way through a wall. Rubble poured down behind it. " _Reducto!"_ Callie screamed. She dove through the opening. A horrible rumbling, crashing noise followed as the entire structure came down.

She saw the Death Eater several feet ahead of her. It stopped, making to Disapparate. Callie cast the Anti-Disapparaition Jinx, preventing his retreat. The Death Eater rounded on her. She screamed the Babbling Curse, rendering him unable to articulate spells. He switched to non-verbal spells. He twisted and dodged her attacks.

She screamed every curse she could think of. One hit home and froze him to the spot. She blasted the mask off his face. " _Conjunctivitis!_ " His eyes turned a violent red. He screamed and puts his hands to them.

She unleashed the full weight of her fury on his body. " _Crucio!_ " He writhed and screamed on the spot. She screamed the curse again and again, hatred backing every word. Finally, when he was reduced to a twitching pile of bones and flesh, she drew her arm back.

" _Avada-!_ "

A hand closed around her wrist and forced her arm up. A body appeared in front of her, blocking her sight of the man who murdered her friend.

"Let go!" she screamed.

Sirius took her other wrist and shook her hard. She struggled. He shook her again. "Callie!" She froze. His eyes bored into hers. Stern, a little nervous, and compassionate. When he saw he had her attention he lowered his voice. "Give me the wand."

The image of her friend, dead before her eyes, struck her. She gasped in pain. Her wand fell to the ground. Her vision blurred. Hot tears ran down her face, streaking the layer of ash. Her knees gave out in grief. Sirius pulls her to himself and held her firmly. He supported her weight. Her tears soaked through his shirt. He didn't say anything, just held her as she cried.

The Death Eater was taken into custody shortly after Callie was able to stand again. She wiped her eyes and apologized, her voice hoarse. When Sirius offered her her wand back, she shook her head mutely. He carried it in his pocket back to the Auror Office. Callie sat in a chair just outside the Head of Department's Office. Her hand shook too badly to write her report.

She felt numb. Her eyes stared ahead at nothing. Her mind barely registered the conversation on the other side of the door.

"Alfred and Maria Claybourne are dead," Sirius reported, "along with their children, Elizabeth and Jason. We caught Wilkes standing over the bodies, but he couldn't have done it alone. Whoever helped him, they were long gone by the time we got there."

"What happened to Potter?" Rufus Scrimgeour demanded. "She looks like she's seen a ghost."

Sirius shrugged. "Elizabeth Claybourne was in her year at Hogwarts. They were good friends. She was first on the scene."

"And I suppose it was her who made a mess of Wilkes?"

The Auror's shoulders tensed. Torturing a target wasn't the most excellent thing she could have done on her first day as an official Auror, and she could be severely disciplined for it. He remembered the look in her eyes as she broke down. His chest ached. "He put up a fight," he explained, half-lying. "It took both of us using strong curses to bring him down."

"Wilkes isn't known as an exceptional Death Eater." The statement was laced with suspicion. "I've seen Potter in action; even she could bring him down single-handed."

Sirius shrugged again. "Maybe he was under the Imperius Curse."

"Maybe," Scrimgeour didn't sound convinced. He studied the man before him. Sirius could feel his mind being probed, and casually put up a defense. Scrimgeour hummed in thought and leaned back, closing the connection. "She shouldn't work alone yet."

The answer presented itself so quickly that Sirius wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. It was so simple. Did he want a partner? Not particularly. But he had to admit that she generally didn't get in his way, which was, really, the best he could ask for. "I agree, Sir," he said. "Let me keep her on."

His superior frowned. "I don't know, Black. You've brought in a quarter of the Death Eaters we've thrown in Azkaban, and you've done it alone. Having a little dog at your heels will slow you down. I was fine with it for a year, but beyond that…"

Sirius clenched his teeth to avoid snapping at the comment comparing Callie to a dog. All the same, he hesitated. He thought back. She was terrifying attacking Wilkes. Her memory for spells was incredible. And she absolutely showed the most potential of anyone he'd ever seen.

Latching her to a lesser Auror would be a waste.

"I'm positive," he declared. "Let her partner up with me, and I'll turn her into the best Auror the Ministry has ever seen."

"No ulterior motives, Black?"

Sirius shrugged. "I know it sounds crazy, but I want her-"

"I'm sure you do."

"-as my partner," Sirius finished firmly. "With a little more time, I think the two of us could go after Voldemort."

Scrimgeour cocked a brow. He considered him for a moment. It was true that Black was an absolutely brilliant Auror, one of the best seen in centuries. He'd been right about a lot of things before. "You really think she's that good?"

Again, Sirius thought of her sharp thinking and furious power when unleashed. He grinned. "I do, Sir."

The Head of Department sighed deeply. "Alright, Black. You've got your wish. I'll draw up the paperwork and have it ready to be signed tomorrow."

Sirius smirked. "Thank you, Sir." He dismissed himself and walked out. He saw Callie sitting perfectly still, head in her hands. His smirk faded. He made sure to latch the door, and walked over to her. He knelt beside her and gently slid an arm around her. "Hey. Let's get you home." He took the quill and parchment from her lap. "You can finish that tomorrow… partner."

She looked up and gave him a confused glance. Sirius grinned back. "Looks like we're stuck together for a while yet."


	5. Diplomats and Death Eaters

July 30, 1988

The death of Elizabeth served, not to harden Callie, but to make her determined. She poured herself into her work. She learned hand-to-hand combat as well as memorizing a stack of defensive and offensive spells. When she wasn't out on a case, she was pouring over old Wizarding Law books, practicing incantations, or sparring. She lived and breathed her work.

Mid-July she was asked to attend a Ministry function to celebrate the Auror Office and its accomplishments. Every Auror was to be in attendance, unless otherwise detained for official business. The event would celebrate, above all, the momentous victory achieved by Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt: the capture and subsequent imprisonment of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. All of the important figures of the Wizarding World would be there, including the Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold. She was hosting the event at her mansion outside of London. Ambassadors from no less than twenty countries would also be in attendance, including America, France, Germany, China, India, and Japan.

The politicians were dearly hoping for a raise in funding for the Magical Law Enforcement Department so they could all keep their jobs and keep the people content.

The night of the party came quickly. Callie had to hide a few bruises and scars, but managed to fit into her dress perfectly. She wasn't used to the wealth and glamor of this particular event, but Scrimgeour had insisted. She wasn't sure whether she thought the form-fitting red evening gown was too much or too little, but she kept it on anyway, thoroughly self-conscious. She twisted and fought with her hair until she was satisfied, and made sure to have a place to keep her wand on her person; a convenient strap around her right calf.

Callie showed her ID to the guard outside the gates, and walked through after a quick check to be sure she wasn't carrying any cursed items. One guard waved his wand over her, casting a spell that would allow her to venture inside the magical barrier. She felt a penetrating cold just before she stepped through. A dementor floated fifty feet away, accompanied by an unfortunate handler making sure it obeyed orders.

Sirius met her by the entrance to the grand ballroom. She gave him a quick once-over before he looked up. His charcoal gray dress robes complemented his black, gelled hair and gray eyes. He'd made even more of an effort than usual, and she couldn't help but appreciate it. And neither, apparently, could practically any woman who saw him. She noticed several pairs of eyes eye him admiringly as they passed.

He looked up and caught sight of her. His eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly open. She couldn't quite tell if what he was thinking was good.

Callie bit her lower lip. "Too much?"

Sirius shook himself. "No," he said. "I'm just concerned these politicians will think we've snatched an angel from the heavens. Their wives might get jealous."

Callie laughed, hoping it hid her blush at the compliment. "That's sweet, Sirius, but I think it's their husbands who'll get jealous." She nodded at a passing pair of couples, both wives eyeing Sirius almost hungrily.

Sirius smirked. "I hadn't even noticed."

"Liar." She took the arm he offered her. "You enjoy it."

"Hey, both of their husbands were looking at you, love." He grinned and led her into the enormous, richly-decorated room. She felt him lean closer and whisper, "Besides, if you think I look good, you can just say so."

Heat spread up her neck and into her face, turning her cheeks pink. She rolled her eyes. "Same goes for you, Mr. Black."

"Alright, Miss Potter," Sirius replied with a grin. "You look good."

Callie turned and smiled back. "So do you."

"I know."

Before she could quip back, a loud voice called the assembly's attention to the middle of the room. The Minister of Magic made a short speech, praising the acts of the Auror Office. She gave special attention to Moody and Shacklebolt. She went on to talk of the ongoing efforts to stop so-called "Lord" Voldemort and his forces. Surprisingly enough, most of the mentioned plans were very practical. She gave the floor to Scrimgeour, who had a few more words to say. He listed the crimes the Lestranges were convicted of individually, including the brutal torture of Alice and Frank Longbottom, for whom there was a moment of silence.

"I'm not saying I regret my cousin and her husband getting thrown in Azkaban," Sirius muttered, "but I would have liked a crack at her before they put her away."

Scrimgeour continued listing the remaining convicted Death Eaters and promising to have them all behind the walls of Azkaban in another year's time. Callie raised her eyebrows at that and commented that promises like that were what got the previous Head of Department kicked out. After his speech, an orchestra struck up a song and most people filtered to the sides of the room.

Callie and Sirius watched peacock-like couples parade across the dance floor, sporting wealth too affluent for war-time. After a moment, Sirius turned to her. "You know why we're really here, don't you? We're to try and get information out of those politicians."

Callie nodded. "I know." She hated the idea. She was much more comfortable on the sides of the room watching that trying to weasel important thoughts out of people.

"You'll be fine," Sirius said. "Worst case, make something up."

A tall woman in a cobalt-blue dress appeared on Sirius' other side. "Sirius Black! It's wonderful to see you again! You probably don't recognize me; I'm Elaine Fawley, formerly Shafiq. We were in the same year at Hogwarts."

Callie could tell Sirius didn't remember. But they both recognized the name, at least; Pollux Fawley was one of the wealthiest men in Europe, and rumored to have a hand in nearly every department in the Ministry, including the infamous Department of Mysteries. So Sirius lied. "Of course! Elaine. Just as beautiful as I remember." He smiled charmingly. "Would you care to dance?"

She seemed to have gotten whatever she was after. "Thought you'd never ask!"

Sirius took her hand and shot a half-apologetic-half-exasperated look back at Callie as he walked Mrs. Fawley to the dance floor. Callie grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing house-elf and scanned the room. Dignitaries mingled easily with each other, dancing and laughing as if they hadn't a care in the world. It rather disgusted her. A war on and these peacocks were just trying to scrape out more wealth and power for themselves.

It wasn't too long before the Ambassador from Russia asked her to dance. She accepted because it was her job. He was as tight-lipped as she expected; he barely said three words. After that, the Minster herself found her and paraded her around the room, introducing her to strategic people, many of whom went to school with her brother, or even her parents. The Minister had taken a liking to Callie, it seemed. She was quite invested in knowing exactly what she was up to.

Cornelius Fudge found her a half-hour later. The impressive feeling of his black ensemble was rather ruined by his lime green bowler hat. Truthfully, she'd never noticed the man, and no one in the room seemed to consider him of much importance, but she accepted regardless.

"You're the newest Auror, aren't you?" Fudge asked, followed by a quick apology when he stepped on her foot.

Callie nodded, hiding a grimace. "Yes, sir, I am."

"And your brother… James Potter was of marvelous courage… he defied He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named no less than three times, they say!"

Callie had heard that all evening, but even James himself would say he'd no idea which times they were talking about. "Well, I think to think we all are defying Voldemort every day," she replied. "That's why we're all here, after all." She bit back a curse as her foot was squashed again.

"Sorry!" Fudge righted himself. "Quite right. And young Sirius Black has taken you under his wing?"

Callie wondered why he'd asked her to dance if he was just going to tell her things she already knew. "I'm not sure I'd call it that, but I suppose so."

"Brilliant Auror. Shame about his bloodline, though."

"I think Sirius has more than proven himself," Callie replied coolly. "If we start judging people based on their heritage, we're just like Voldemort."

"True, true." Fudge glanced around. "Have you heard the rumor that the Potter family is descended from Gryffindor himself. If anyone is going to take down You-Know-Who, he'll come from that family, mark my words."

That was news to Callie. She'd never delved far into her family history, but she didn't want to discuss it with this man. She tried to find something to say, but words rather failed her.

A hand tapped on Fudge's shoulder. "Excuse me, mind if I cut in?"

Fudge turned and saw Sirius. "Ah, Black! Speak of the devil. We were just talking about you."

Sirius chuckled. "Good things, I hope."

"Oh, nothing but! You'll want to dance with your partner. Quite right, quite right." He blessedly stepped aside. "I'll be taking a tour of the Auror Office sometime in the following week."

Sirius stepped in front of him and took Callie's hand. "We look forward to having you." He smiled and pulled her away, letting several dancing couples between them.

Callie sighed and pulled away. "Thanks for the save." She shivered. "All of this talk of the bloodlines and speculating who'll take Voldemort down. I hate politicians."

Sirius chuckled. He took her hand again. She eyed him suspiciously. "Don't look at me like that. If we don't dance now, he'll be suspicious."

She hesitated, but Sirius didn't give her much time to think. He settled his other hand on her back and moved in time to the music. Callie suddenly found herself hyper aware of his hand pressed against the skin of the small of her back. She almost wished she hadn't picked an open-backed dress. She hadn't thought anything of it before, but now… She obediently placed her hand on his shoulder.

Sirius moved so seamlessly that it felt more like gliding than dancing. Finding she couldn't bear silence on top of the uncomfortable way he was looking at her and the touch of his skin, she said, "I didn't know you could dance." Her voice sounded a little forced and breathless, and she prayed it just her imagination.

Sirius laughed. "Yeah, I try to hide it. My mum made me take lessons when I was little, up through fourth year. I couldn't abide it. Who knew it'd come in handy?" He twirled her, catching her easily, and smiled. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Natural talent?"

"I don't bleieve that for a moment. You can't possibly be related to your brother; he trips over nothing. Are you sure you're not adopted?"

She chuckled. "I'm sure."

She felt more than heard the song change. Sirius pulled her closer. She was forced to rest her face near his shoulder to compensate. No longer able to look at his eyes, she looked _anywhere_ else, trying to distract herself and cool her burning face.

"You're shivering," Sirius whispered.

"I'm cold." It was a lie. She was burning up.

He didn't call her out, so she hoped he believed her.

The music went on, barely audible to her. It was in her blood, all around her. She wished she could focus on something – anything – but him, but she couldn't. She felt his hand caress the skin of her back, and her breath caught.

"Callie?"

She gave a slightly forced hum in response.

She didn't find out what he was going to say. A horrible shattering tore their attention to the far side of the room. The entire wall of windows shattered inward. Black smoke poured in, materializing into masked and hooded men. A trap.

Callie went for her wand strapped to her leg as Sirius drew his. She saw flashes of green already sailing into the crowd. The lights went out. Sirius left her side. She raised her wand and shouted a spell and summoned a light, sending it into the ceiling. All around her was chaos. She stepped against the wall to avoid being trampled by screaming people. Fudge zoomed by her, running faster than she'd ever thought him capable of.

She tore her shoes off and tore a slit in her dress to allow for better movement before charging into the fray. She caught sight of Sirius already locked in combat, and Moody and Wilde each taking on two. She ducked to avoid a stray curse. The Minister of Magic threw off her guards and joined the battle herself.

A pale face caught her attention. Bare feet stepped over glass and into the room. Calmly, red eyes scanned the chaos, satisfied with the carnage. A wasted, once-handsome face pulled back in something too evil to be called a smile.

Voldemort had arrived.


	6. The Battle in the Minister's Mansion

July 31, 1988

Midnight chimed as blood red eyes scanned the crowd. They settled on Moody and Shacklebolt. Voldemort nodded. The Aurors twitched convulsively and collapsed to their knees before him. Thick, black hair sprouted from Moody's head. Shacklebolt grew thinner. The change took barely a second. Where Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt had stood moments before, Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange bowed to their lord. Both took aim into the crowd. Rodolphus' wand pointed at the Minister of Magic. Bellatrix's found Sirius.

The Minister was closer. She darted for her. If she timed it right, she could save them both. Both wands fired. Callie shot a spell at Sirius, shoving him out of the way milliseconds before the Killing Curse hit him. She barreled into the Minister, knocking her to the ground.

Callie pulled the Minister to her feet and shot a curse behind her, striking a Death Eater as he turned to attack them. "Sorry, Minister. Are you hurt?"

Bagnold shook her head. "Thank you."

"You should get out of here!" Callie insisted. "It's you they want."

"I am _not_ leaving here while my Ministry-"

Callie shoved her down to avoid another curse. Rodolphus Lestrange was steadily advancing. "There isn't time!" She fired curses at Lestrange. The Minister began arguing again. Realizing there was no other choice, Callie grabbed her by the arm and disapparated. They landed back at the Ministry entrance. Before the Minister regained her senses, Callie pushed her inside the phone booth and gave the password.

"Potter!" Bagnold shouted as they began to descend. "I could have your job for this!"

"Your safety is my first priority, Minister," Callie argued. The cramped quarters gave both of them a perfect view of the determination sparking in the other's face. "You're the best woman for this job in a time of war, and you need to stay alive." They reached the bottom and exited quickly. Callie called a guard over and explained the situation, asking him to keep the Minister safe at all cost.

"It was a trap?" the guard asked, voice quaking. "But… every Auror in the country is there tonight!"

"I know that!" Callie snapped. Her mind was still reeling with the image of Moody and Shacklebolt morphing into Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. "Protect the Minister. If they kill all of us tonight, they'll try here next. Run up every defense immediately!" She turned to the Minister. "Is the Floo network opened in your home?"

The Minister nodded. Callie ran for the nearest fireplace, seized a pinch, and tossed it into the fire. She stepped in and spoke the address very clearly.

Moments later she was stepping out of the grate in a fireplace in a musty, unused bedroom. Shouts and screams came up from somewhere below her. She tore the door open and sprinted down the staircase. She prayed that everyone was still alright.

Flashes of light shot from the wide-open doors of the ballroom. She ducked behind a pillar to get her bearings. Sirius and Bellatrix were locked a ferocious duel on the far side of the room. Wilde dispatched a still-masked Death Eater before turning to another one. Voldemort stood on top of a long, wide table, battling what appeared to be Albus Dumbledore. Callie didn't remember seeing him among the guests.

She picked a target and ran into the fight. Her opponent was a decent fighter. He parried and blocked. His curses were nasty, but there wasn't a Killing Curse among them. The force of his spells pushed her back several feet. Empty eye sockets in a vacant mask stared at her as she concentrated. One spell struck him in the face and blasted his mask off. She'd seen that face somewhere, she thought. The hooked nose and greasy black hair were familiar. She dodged a fast, moving, white spell and tried to get in distance.

As she was about to give a final blow, sparking green light filled the room. A skull with a snake protruding from its mouth rose to the ceiling. The Death Eater disapparated. Callie turned to see all of the black-cloaked figured vanishing, one by one. She didn't understand. This wasn't like them at all.

Her eyes fell on Sirius, still battling Bellatrix. Something seemed wrong about the way she was fighting. They were too close. She grabbed at him with her free hand. Callie considered aiming a spell at her back. A flash of brown hair streaked past her. Bellatrix's hand finally latched around Sirius' wrist. With a triumphant smirk, she began to disappear.

Someone reached them barely in time. Sirius was thrown from Bellatrix. With a horrible shriek of rage, Bellatrix clutched the person by the hair and disapparated, dragging them with her.

A shocked silence fell on the room. Callie looked to the high table, but Voldemort was nowhere to be seen. Dumbledore stood by himself. Everyone seemed to be staring around at each other, trying to make sense of the Death Eaters' sudden retreat.

She heard him swear violently. He stood, trembling. His face was pale as a sheet. He seemed about to disapparate. Callie reached him and grabbed his arm.

"Are you okay?" she demanded.

He didn't answer. He turned to her with fear in his eyes. "They've got her."

She'd never seen him look truly afraid before, and it shocked her. "Who? They've got who?"

"Marlene." His voice was hoarse. Callie could feel him shaking. She stared at him for a moment, confused, trying to figure out what he needed. Noises began to rise around them as people shook themselves out of their stunned stupor and began asking each other questions.

"Okay," she finally said. "We're going to get her back."

"I'll give them hell for this," he swore. A dangerous fire lit in his eyes. He shook himself, stilled, and took a deep breath. "Are you okay? I lost sight of you."

She nodded. "I'm okay." She looked around. Bodies lay across the floor, some glassy-eyed, staring at nothing. Others pushed themselves up, sporting deep wounds. Aurors who weren't injured asked each other frantic questions. Someone demanded to know where the Minister was.

Callie and Sirius were separated again during the cleanup, each directing Healers, answering burning questions, and trying to keep a general calm about the war-ravaged room. They made a list of the people missing, and a list of the dead. It was dawn before they found themselves back in the Auror Office.

Callie saw him across the room, sitting next to Dumbledore. They seemed to be conversing about something. Sirius looked rough, maybe worse than she'd ever seen him. She grabbed a bottle of Firewhiskey and made her way over to him.

"Sirius, you've always been one of the bravest men I've known," Dumbledore was saying. "But even you cannot save everyone."

"I could at least save her," Sirius argued.

"My boy, Marlene will not be saved by rash actions. You have people who depend on you. Don't throw your life away so easily." He looked up. His twinkling eyes met Callie's. "Ah, Miss Potter." He smiled and stood. "I shall leave Mr. Black in your capable hands."

Callie tried to look like she hadn't overheard. She smiled. "Thank you for helping us, Professor," she said.

"It was a splendid coincidence that I was there," he said, but she got the feeling it wasn't. "If you will excuse me, I must see if anyone has any questions for me."

Callie took the seat he vacated and passed Sirius the bottle. He took it wordlessly. She watched him drain it. His eyes were red, his suit torn. He tossed the bottle in the garbage bin several feet away and sat in silence.

"It's Harry's birthday," Callie said quietly, hoping to get his mind off whatever he was agonizing over.

Sirius smiled slightly. "Yeah, how could I forget? He's eight years old." He paused. "You did well, prioritizing the Minister's safety."

"Thanks." She watched him for a moment. "Sirius, what were you and Dumbledore talking about?"

He took a while to answer. She could see in his eyes that he was fighting with himself over something. "The Aurors are planning a raid on the Riddle House tomorrow, once we get Moody and Shacklebolt out of Azkaban and back to themselves. The Death Eaters took four Aurors last night, and we're going to bring them back." He paused. "I want you to stay here."

"What?" Callie asked. "No way. I'm coming."

"Callie, it's a suicide mission."

"I know. I'm not letting you go without me. We're partners, right?"

He cursed. "This isn't like taking down the Carrows!"

"I know that! But I'm an Auror, and this is my job. You said that together, we could take on Voldemort one day."

"I said that to make you work harder, not because I actually believe it!"

Stung, she stopped. Callie looked him hard in the eyes. He glared back at her. "Well, I'm not in training anymore," she said. "What you believe doesn't really matter; you signed off on my papers anyway. What I do isn't up to you." She stood. "I'm going to see my nephew and wish him a happy birthday before we go tomorrow. You coming?"

"I could force you to stay here," he reminded her.

"I know. But you won't."

"And why is that, Potter?"

"Because if you want to get Marlene back, you need every pair of hands you can get. I'll see you tomorrow." She walked out without another word.


	7. The Vendetta

August 1, 1988

The evening of the raid creeped up slowly. A thick layer of mist engulfed the grounds of the Riddle House. Callie and Sirius crouched behind an overgrown bush facing the West side of the mansion. Something in the air told them the Death Eaters knew they were coming.

"Think we can pull this off?" Callie whispered, gripping her wand.

"Stick to the plan," Sirius reminded her. "As long as we do that, we'll be fine."

"And if Voldemort comes back?"

"He won't." Sirius paused. "If he does… get out."

Red sparks shot up in the distance. They counted exactly fifteen seconds before apparating into the nearest room they could locate. Three Death Eaters were sitting around a table, drinking tea. They collapsed as Stunning Spells struck them.

Shouts rose up from the bowels of the house. Callie and Sirius took off toward them. Running footsteps careened around corners and down stairs. Jets of multi-colored light cast strange shadows on the walls. The thick, unnatural scent of decay mingled with heat filled their nostrils. Some metallic quality in the air made them taste something like blood. It combined to create an assault on the senses, nearly impossible to think straight in. The very house itself seemed to swallow them.

Shacklebolt and Wilde joined them in the hall. "Not a soul is upstairs!" Shacklebolt said over the din.

"They'll be in the cellar!" Sirius shouted.

They ran for the kitchen. The hallway narrowed, forcing them to go single-file. An alarming growl met them at the door. An immense Greyhound, chained to the floor, stood in front of the cellar door. It barred its teeth and barked, shaking the room.

Sirius smirked. "I've got this."

"Are you kidding me, Black? That thing is huge!" Wilde argued.

The beast lunged. It screamed in pain as the chain pulled taut, throwing it back.

"Get ready!" Sirius ordered, raising his wand to the brute. " _Relashio!_ " The chains fell off the monster. It checked itself. Wilde seemed ready to murder Sirius on the spot. The dog stood, shook itself as if drying off, and raised its great head to look at them again.

Callie blew a hole in the opposite wall. Sirius stepped forward and gave the others a pointed glance. "Get in the cellar."

Callie crept around the dog, its attention fixed on Sirius, and opened the cellar door. Shacklebolt grabbed Wilde's arm and pulled her after them. They closed the door softly. Instantly, something huge slammed against it. They heard two monsters growling and barking, and then a sharp whimper.

"Don't tell me that idiot duplicated it," Wilde muttered.

"Sometimes it's best not to ask," Callie answered.

Shacklebolt led them down the steps. The temperature steadily dropped. Candles flickered. Something dripped from the ceiling. The air was dank. They came to the end of the steps and opened another door.

Four bodies lay on the dirt floor. A man stood in the middle of the room, wand pointed at Marlene McKinnon. Black eyes stared at them out of sallow skin.

"One step," he said, "and the girl dies."

"Snape," Callie muttered. She remembered him now from her brother's time at Hogwarts. He was the kid James and his friends were always fighting.

"Quite, Potter." He spat the last name as if it were poison on his tongue. Shacklebolt and Wilde pointed their wands at his chest. "Any moment now Black will come through that door. And when he does… I want him to see her die."

"He'll kill you," Callie said. "You know he will."

"Then let him end this. But before he does, I will have bested him."

Before their duel two nights ago, Callie had seen Snape face-to-face exactly twice, both times at school. They'd literally run into each other in the hall her first year, and he'd called her a very ugly name. Her second year she'd helped him pick up his books, and he'd again called her an ugly name. All of what she knew of him came from James and Sirius' stories, or what she'd seen of him at school. And although he bore the Dark Mark on his arm, he wasn't the ruthless killer most Death Eaters boasted to be.

"You'd kill someone else an yourself to get back at him? That's childish," Callie argued.

"Black and his friends took everything!" Snape shouted. "It's what he deserves!" The sound of someone running down the steps drew a cruel smile on his face. "And there he is. The _hero._ "

Sirius arrived, wiping blood off his chin. He saw Snape first. Callie felt him push past her and saw him smirk. "Shacklebolt, Wilde, it's getting ugly. You two should go help." They hesitated, but ran past him up the steps. He saw Snape and smiled. "Well, didn't think you'd be here, Snape. Put the wand down and come quietly."

"Of course. But before I do that, Black, there's something I want you to see." He snarled. " _Crucio._ "

Marlene let out a blood-curdling scream. The smirk died on Sirius' face. He raised his wand in a flash. Snape stopped the curse. Marlene fell silent and still as stone. "So you know she's alive," he said. "If you so much as blink, Black, I'll kill her."

"Her life for a childhood rivalry?" he snapped. "How petty are you!?"

"Not quite." Snape's voice slowly rose. "You're always talking about how you'd like to take the punishment for your _friends_! Well, now's your chance. Potter took the only person I've ever loved, and now, I'll take someone you love."

"He didn't take Lily! She chose him! _Move on!_ "

Snape smirked wickedly. "When you do."

"I swear to Godric, if you _touch_ her-"

"You'll kill me?" Snape laughed. "Perfect. I'll take someone you love and make you a murderer all in one blow!"

"Snape," Callie said, "this is insane! Put the wand down!"

Snape's eyes brightened. He looked at her for a moment, sizing her up, then looked back at Sirius. "Think I can kill them both before you can react? You always were slower when you were grief-stricken. That way, Potter will mourn, too."

"Try it," Callie dared, raising her wand. "You can't take us both."

She could see the moment Snape steeled himself to do it. His mouth closed and she could practically hear him speaking the curse in his mind.

Something rumbled overhead. The candles quivered. Snape looked up, distracted. Sirius leveled a stunning spell at him. Before it could hit, Snape has vanished.

The ceiling cracked. Callie and Sirius rushed to get everyone out. Sirius took Marlene. They met at the same bush they'd hid behind before the raid. Callie looked back at the house. It rumbled and shook. Sections of the roof slid off. All at once, with a deafening crash, the entire structure caved in.

Callie stared in horror. After a moment, she shook herself. "I'm going to see who made it out. Get these people to St. Mungo's immediately."

"Right," Sirius said. "Be careful." He took Marlene's hand first and disapparated.

Callie ran toward the structure and began levitating pieces of rubble. She cast charms and spells in an attempt to find anyone trapped underneath the tons of debris. Suddenly, she was bathed in a green light. She looked up. A vast, green skull and snake were suspended in midair. She looked around. A solitary figure stood opposite her, its wand pointed up at the sky. In the dim light, she could see the mask underneath the hood. It was the same she had removed during the battle at the Minister's home. She stared at Snape. She could feel him staring back.

He disappeared.

A team arrived moments later to help with the excavation. They swiftly took over once Callie had briefed them, and ordered her to go to St. Mungo's and receive a thorough examination. She complied.

During wartime, everyone was required to check their wands at the desk. Callie bypassed this by showing her Auror badge and answering a security question to prove who she was. She was swiftly taken into an examination room.

With nothing worse than a few bruises and scrapes, she was told that she was very lucky indeed. A Healer promised to patch her up as soon as he had a free moment, as she had no serious injuries. She asked about the other Aurors. He informed her that two were likely past saving. Their bodies would mend, but their minds were addled. The other two, McKinnon and Forester, would have to be kept for at least a week. Black was, as usual, refusing medical attention, but everyone thought he wasn't bad off.

James came in half an hour after the healer left. He took one look at her and whistled. "Merlin's pants, you look awful," he said.

She chuckled. "You should see the other guy."

James sat next to her on the table. He looked at her for a moment, studying her expression. "I heard about the house collapsing. They still haven't found anyone underneath it. Thought you'd like to know." He paused, watching her digest this information. "Am I a horrible person for just being happy my little sister got out alive?"

She smiled a little. "No, James. You're a lot of things, but a horrible person isn't one of them."

He wrapped an arm around her. "Worrying about you will put me in an early grave." He pressed a kiss into the top of her head and pulled away. "Harry loves his birthday present. He sent you a picture." He pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to her. It bore a very colorful drawing of a Quidditch Pitch.

Callie smiled and took it. "Tell him I appreciate the drawing. You know how I love good art." She folded it and placed it in her robes. "Have you seen Sirius yet?"

"Not yet, but Remus tagged along with me. He should be with him now." He paused. "Do you think he's okay?"

"Yeah, I think so, but McKinnon being captured to save him really did a number on him. And Snape certainly didn't help."

James stiffened. "Snape? What's he got to do with this?"

Callie looked at him. "He was at the house, guarding the prisoners." She explained how he had tortured Marlene in an attempt to take revenge, and then vanished before the house collapsed.

James looked thoughtful. "He's always been a horrid, greasy little bugger. I'm not surprised he did that. You know, in school-"

The Healer returned. "We can begin fixing you up now, Miss Potter," he said.

James pushed himself off the table. "Well, that's my cue. I'll be outside." He walked to the door, and turned back around. "Take care of her," he said sternly. "That's my little sister."

The Healer merely nodded. In fifteen minutes he was done, and Callie was allowed to leave. She asked where the other Aurors were being kept. Up two flights and into a special ward she walked, finding them with minimal trouble.

Remus, James, and Sirius sat by Marlene's bedside. She was awake, and seemed able to carry on conversation. Callie stopped at the door. She had forgotten until that moment that Marlene was in their year at Hogwarts. They all seemed to be good friends. As Callie watched, Marlene said something that made them all laugh. Sirius smiled at her and kissed her.

Callie stopped. She felt slightly ill, as if she'd had the wind knocked out of her. She knew Sirius and Marlene were close, but she didn't know they were that close. She suddenly felt very hot and uncomfortable.

Remus glanced up and caught her eye. The smile faded from his face as recognition bloomed in his eyes. His expression melted into one of pity. He stood as Callie turned around and walked out of the ward.

"Callie!" he called from behind her. He caught up to her in the lobby, grabbing her arm gently. "Hey, it's been a long time," he said.

Callie smiled a little forcefully. "Yeah, it has. Listen, can we catch up later? Maybe we could grab a Butterbeer or something?"

Remus gave her a knowing, slightly sorrowful look, and let her go. "Let's. I'll be in touch. Try to get some rest, alright? You look frightful."

Callie nodded. Remus smiled swiftly and a little tightly, and let her leave. Callie went straight back to the Ministry, mind swirling and stomach in knots.


	8. Old Friends and New Ideas

September 10, 1988

A total of six Aurors were lost during the raid on the Riddle House. Two were lost to insanity by torture; the other four were killed either in duels, or when the structure caved in on top of them. Several people, Callie included, thought the whole thing was a bloody waste of time. McKinnon wasn't quite right, and took a temporary leave of absence. Emboldened by their success at the Minister's Mansion and the blow they'd struck during the raid, Death Eater activity spiked.

Callie began to think that maybe they were going about this all wrong. She kept seeing Snape in the back of her mind, black eyes burning with personal hatred. Couldn't some Death Eaters be trying to right personal wrongs? Couldn't some of them simply be weak-willed? Not all of them, of course. But maybe some?

She suggested this idea to Sirius, who laughed and said she was naive. They were there to "catch the monsters, not tame them." Then he promptly took five days off in the middle of a chaotic scramble to get the Office back in order. His leave happened to coincide with Marlene getting out of the hospital. Callie took his opinion for a grain of salt.

Technically, she wasn't supposed to be working by herself yet. She was passed over for more important cases. But, it left her open to follow her own angle, so she ventured out on her own to investigate. She located an old friend, and decided to start with him.

The door of the quaint, little house was opened by a plump, jolly-faced woman in her sixties. She asked a security question, apologizing as she did so, and let Callie in. The inside of the home was furnished with antique chairs and cupboards full of ceramic collectables that waved or jumped or did a jig. Doilies draped over nearly everything, making it look like a thin layer of snow made of extremely large snowflakes. Callie was seated in a parlor with pink walls and handed a little, blue china cup with tea. Mrs. Pettigrew went to fetch her son. Callie sipped her tea while she waited.

She hardly recognized Peter when he entered. He was a fairly short man, but handsome, in a mousy way. He had a look of half-restlessness, half-relief at being idle. He was mild, more timid than Remus, and had none of the harshness of James or Sirius. She could tell that he'd really come into his own since she'd seen him last. He smiled when he saw her and she stood and embraced him.

"Peter, it's really good to see you," she said, smiling.

"You, too." He took the seat opposite her. "I was surprised when I got your owl. Why do you want to talk about Snape?"

Callie explained her brief encounter with the Death Eater. She was very good at remembering details when she wanted to be. She reported how his hand shook every now and then, and the venom in his words. Peter listened thoughtfully. When she finished, he took a long sip of tea and nibbled a scone.

"Why ask me about this?" he questioned. "I mean, James has more answers, and it would be easier to just talk to Sirius."

"You'd think so," Callie replied dryly. "Sirius laughed me off when I tried talking to him about it, and you know James has never been unbiased in his life."

"If you want unbiased, why not Remus?"

"Well, Remus has been working for the Order pretty much nonstop. He's gone in werewolf covens, or whatever they are, and rarely comes back up except to report to Dumbledore."

Peter frowned. "He thinks he belongs there."

"I know, and I could slap him for it." She sipped her tea. Peter refilled her cup when she drained it. "But to tell you the truth… it was nice to have an excuse to see you. I've really missed you."

Peter smiled. "You, too."

"You were always the kindest of the lot." She smiled at the memory. "I used to have nightmares almost every night, and you'd sit up with me when you were staying with James over the summer. You'd make me hot chocolate."

Peter smiled again, refilling his own cup and reaching for another scone. "It wasn't all charity," he said with a squeaky chuckle. "I had nightmares, too." He sat back and peered at her for a moment. "But you're not really here about Snape."

Taken aback, she frowned. "What are you talking about? Of course I am."

"Please," Peter negated. "I've seen that expression way too often. Who do you think sent all that chocolate to girls Sirius broke up with?"

"Merlin, that was you?" She laughed. "I thought it was Remus!"

Peter shrugged. "Remus was just my supplier." He eyed her for a moment. "Seriously, though, it's Sirius that's bothering you, isn't it? That's why you didn't go to James or Remus."

Callie sighed deeply. "You should have been in Slytherin or Ravenclaw, Pete."

He poked her arm. "Don't change the subject!"

She picked up her cup and hid either a smile or a frown behind it; she wasn't sure which. Her face couldn't quite decide between amused and annoyed. She pretended there was far more tea in the cup so she could collect her thoughts. Finally, she put it down and said, "He took five days off work. You know how many days off he's taken since I joined? Exactly one, and that was to take Harry to a Quidditch match for his seventh birthday."

"Do you know what it's for?" Peter asked fairly.

"I think it's pretty obvious what it's for! Marlene McKinnon got out of the hospital the same day he took leave."

Peter nodded very slowly, eyes sparking with recognition. "Oh… I see. Yeah, I think this might be Remus' territory."

Callie kicked him under the table. "Don't be a coward," she argued. "What do you think?"

Peter considered for a moment. "First of all, you're way better than Marlene, and Sirius is an idiot if he can't see that."

Callie choked on her tea, flushing deep red. "No! No, stop right there! That's not what I meant." She coughed, nearly breaking the tea cup setting it down. Eyes watering, she continued in a scratchy voice, "I _meant,_ is Sirius fit to keep working if his _girlfriend_ works in the same department?"

Peter didn't seem to believe her, but he humored her at the very least. "Well… in a word…" He stopped, sighing. He thought for a moment longer. "He's always been impulsive where his friends are concerned. So do I think he'd stop mid-case and risk everything to save her? Yeah, I do. That's… a fact. But another fact is… he's always been the best at what he does. You guys can't afford to lose him."

"We can't afford much of anything," Callie replied. "We're short-staffed, and the Death Eaters are starting to get uglier again. Some really stupid decisions have been made and resulted in too many of our men lost. So… I guess I see that point."

"There's always the chance Marlene just won't come back to work," Peter pointed out. "And if she doesn't…" He grinned. "Make your move."

"Oh, god," Callie groaned, "please stop talking."

Peter laughed. "Look, just because they dated on and off for half their time at Hogwarts doesn't mean they're in love. So chill out and wait for it to blow over again. It usually does."

Callie raised an eyebrow. "They dated in Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, on and off. You didn't know that?"

"He neglected to tell me that bit of information," Callie reported sourly.

Peter smirked. "Look at us, off topic. Snape?"

Callie glared at him. "You're horrible. I firmly believe you had every one of those idiots jumping through hoops in school, too. And they never even realized it, did they?"

"Nope." He took a proud sip of tea. "I trust this remains between us?"

"You can buy my secrecy with information, Pettigrew."

"Okay. So, Snape?" He nodded when she made a noise of affirmation. "Sorry. I really can't tell you anything besides what you probably already know. For my part, I really just watched James and Sirius go at him. I mean, it was obvious that he was obsessed with Lily, but they'd already fallen out when she started going out with James."

"Why did they fall out?" Callie asked.

"Well, he was in Slytherin. No offense. He was always a filthy person and had a hard time being liked anywhere he went, so he started hanging out with Death Eaters. Lily flipped. She gave him an ultimatum their fifth year, after he'd been an idiot and called her a Mudblood. He chose the Dark Arts, and that was that. They weren't friends anymore."

Callie sat back, thinking hard. "So," she said slowly, "do you think some of the Death Eaters are mired in self-hatred like Snape must be? Do you think they're just looking for redemption?"

Peter grinned. "What did Sirius do when you suggested that?"

"Never mind Sirius. Stay on topic!"

"Alright, sorry. I mean… I guess it's possible. What's You-Know-Who offering if not redemption for Pure-Bloods? Or what they think is a sort of redemption."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think some of them might turn if we offered them true redemption?"

"Do I think flowers and rainbows and love will win the war?" Peter grinned. "I suppose crazier things have happened."

She sat in silence for a moment, turning the idea over in her head. It seemed logical, if risky. She supposed that everyone was after reclamation of some sort, and truth was always better than a lie. At this point, what did they have to lose?

She stood. "Thanks, Peter. I really appreciate this. I should get back."

Peter walked her to the door. "Come by anytime. It gets a bit lonely around here. I'm starting to feel a bit useless, to tell you the truth."

"Well, you have my owl." She made sure her wand was secure and turned to face him. "Thank you," she said fervently. "Thank you for keeping my brother and his family safe."

Peter shrugged. "They'd do the same for me. And it's not too hard. I think we outwitted You-Know-Who with our double Secret Keepers. I'm James', and Sirius is mine. The Death Eaters don't stand a chance." He grinned. "But please lock them all up so I can come out of my house."

Callie chuckled. "We're doing our best. Thanks again, Pete."

She ventured out into the steadily-approaching evening. She thought of Snape, and vengeful he must be, and the bitterness he carried. How many others were like him? How many others had simply made one bad choice after another until they didn't know how to make a right one? If something better was offered them, would they take it?

What the Aurors really needed was a spy, and as far as she knew, all the ones they'd tried out had ended up dead.

She apparated home once out of the protective barrier of the Pettigrew cottage. Her simple, rather dull apartment greeted her. She unlocked the door, and promptly locked it again once inside. The lights switched on. Her apartment was starting to look like Sirius' safe house, with papers stacked on every surface. She ventured into her kitchen, moved a pile, and put the kettle on. It would be a long night.

Her toilet flushed. She froze. A shiver ran down her spine. For heaven's sake, not now! She gripped her wand and crept to the wall, pressing her back against it. She breathed deeply in and out to calm her nerves. Only one other person had a key to her apartment, but plenty of people had been killed in their homes.

She heard the bathroom door open and footsteps approach. With a last inhale, she jumped out and pointed her wand straight at the figure. It was the very last person she'd expected. Cool, grey eyes, short, black hair, proud, but very nervous face. His arms rose, hands open to show her he didn't carry anything.

"Unarmed," he promised.

Expression twisted in confusion, trying to make sense of an unarmed, known Death Eater in her home, she said incredulously, "Regulus?"


	9. Horcruxes

September 10 - 11, 1988

"What in Godric's name are you doing here!?" Callie demanded, raising her wand to his throat again.

He stood his ground like a Black, but his eyes betrayed fear. "Sirius said I can trust you," he reported quickly. "I want to help you." She wasn't exactly comforted by the sleeve of his robes falling to his elbows, revealing the cruel, ugly Mark on the inside of his arm.

"How did you get in here?"

"Sirius gave me his key."

Callie's eyes narrowed. "Did he now? Show me."

Regulus hesitated. "It's in the pocket of my robes."

" _Accio_ key!" The small, intricate, impossible to replicate key flew from his pocket and into her free hand. She looked down at it, keeping Regulus in her peripheral vision. It was definitely the right key. "How did you get this? Did you kill him?"

Regulus smiled a very little. "He said you'd say that," he said a little sheepishly. "No, I didn't kill him. He gave it to me. The charm prevents anyone from possessing it unless it's willingly given, right?"

Yes, it did. It also made it impossible to copy. Attempted copies would be crude and crumbly. She slowly lowered her wand again. "Sirius really gave you this?"

Regulus nodded. His arms were still raised.

Callie sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "I'm going to kill him," she vowed, pocketing the key. For good measure, just to be safe, she pointed her wand at him again and said, " _Revelio._ " Nothing happened. It really was Regulus Black. She wasn't any less confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Sirius said I could trust you," he repeated. "I have information about the Dark Lord. He said to come to you."

"What information?"

"It's about his plans. He's trying to become immortal."

"That's impossible." She noticed his arms were still raised. "You can put your hands down."

He dropped his arms gratefully. "It's not impossible." Someone knocked on her door. She hesitated. She looked hard at Regulus. "It's probably Sirius, unless you're expecting someone else. He said he'd come."

Sighing deeply, she walked to her front door and peered through. Sure enough, it was Sirius. She hesitated a moment longer before opening the door. Sirius walked right in, Marlene McKinnon at his heels.

"Warn me next time you plan a party in my home," Callie said testily.

"I'm so sorry about this," Marlene said. "I told Sirius to warn you, but you know he likes being dramatic-"

"Reg!" Sirius said, shaking his brother's hand. "Fancy seeing you here." He glanced over his shoulder at Callie and grinned. "Fraternizing with the enemy, Potter? How Romeo and Juliet."

Callie glared at him, unamused. She twitched her wand in his direction and calmly said a spell. A slimy sardine slid out of Sirius' nose. With a sound of disgust, Sirius reeled back. Marlene burst out laughing. Callie allowed herself a satisfied smirk. Even Regulus cracked a smile.

Sirius glared at her and said the counter curse. The sardine slipping out his other nostril vanished along with the one on the floor. His eyebrow rose threateningly.

Marlene grinned and patted his shoulder. "Oh, she's good," she complimented. She took a seat on Callie's couch and crossed her legs. "But let's down to business. I'm sure Regulus needs to report soon."

Regulus nodded and said he did.

Sirius ducked into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cupboard. "Have you got any Firewhiskey?"

Callie sighed. "Same place it always is. And next time you decide to throw a party in my house, let me know first."

Sirius came out with four bottles of Firewhiskey. He tossed one to each of them and took the seat on the couch next to Marlene. "But I know how you love surprises." He smirked and took a swig from the bottle. "Reg, have a seat. If Callie hasn't bitten yet, I don't think you have to worry."

Regulus looked at Callie, silently asking for permission. Callie sighed and nodded. After a moment, she opened her bottle, took a sip, and sat in a chair facing them. "So what is this about?"

Everyone turned to Sirius. He leaned back and seemed to gather his thoughts. "Nine years ago, Regulus wrote me a letter. It was a bit rambling, and a lot of it didn't make sense, but the gist was that You-Know-Who was splitting his soul to make himself immortal."

"Can he do that?" Callie asked. "Can anyone do that?"

"Yes," Regulus affirmed. "He can, and has, using Horcruxes." He saw the confusion in her eyes, and continued. "A Horcrux is an object that contains part of a human soul. It keeps that part safe so if the mortal body dies, the soul can't, because it's linked to that object."

Callie let the information sink in. It seemed so impossible, so inhuman.

"The consequences are obvious," Marlene said. "He can't be killed. His body can be destroyed, but he'll remain wandering the earth like a ghost. He can always come back."

"Does anyone at the Ministry know this?" Callie asked.

Sirius scoffed. "They've pushed it right out of their minds. They're politicians, Cal."

"They only care about their legacy," Marlene affirmed. "They'll stop him this time and leave the next round of officers to clean up when he comes back."

So it was up to them, then, Callie realized. "Do we have proof?"

Sirius and Regulus glanced at each other. "You know how I said Reg contacted me in '79? Well, he told me he knew where one of them was. After a lot on convincing, I went with him to this cave. There was a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin. It was inside this basin, guarded by a potion that had to be drunk before you could take the locket out, and a lake of Inferi. We didn't have the locket long after taking it, but it was obvious it held a very dark power."

"Did you destroy it?" Callie asked.

"No. We took it straight to Dumbledore," Regulus replied.

"He confirmed Regulus' information. He suspected the Horcruxes were being made when You-Know-Who was still in Hogwarts."

"Horcruxes plural," Marlene said. "Dumbledore thinks there are seven total."

"All seven of which need to be destroyed before Voldemort's body is," Regulus said. "Or there will be a shred of disembodied soul drifting until it finds something to latch onto."

"Probably a weak-willed servant," Marlene added.

Callie sat back and regarded the bottle in her hand for a moment. All the Firewhiskey in the world wouldn't dull the blow of this news, but she took a swig anyway. Even if they won, even if they beat him… he'd just come back. It was impossible to take in. She wanted nothing more than to disbelieve it, to prove the theory was just that: an abstract idea instead of concrete fact. But she could tell by the look on all of their faces that they were telling nothing but the ugly truth.

"Do we know where the others are?" Callie asked. Her voice sounded dry, even to her own ears.

"No," Regulus replied heavily. "The Dark Lord keeps the locations of each strictly confidential. No one Death Eater knows the location of more than one. I've tried to find out, but it's difficult with paranoid people. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Reg," Sirius said. "Godric knows you're risking enough as is." He looked at Callie. "If we don't find them all before Harry goes to Hogwarts... they'll try to find him."

Feeling like an idiot for missing what was obviously a huge point, Callie's brow furrowed. "Why Harry in particular?"

Something like a cloud passed over Sirius' face. His eyes darkened. "There was a prophecy. Harry's destined to kill him."

Crushing silence descended. Marlene glanced between them, then at Regulus. Regulus felt the inside of his arm burn as his chest ached with guilt. Sirius looked right into Callie's eyes, pushing the weight of the reality on her. Callie stared at Sirius, trying to detect a joke.

"You're joking," she begged, voice barely a whisper.

Sirius shook his head. "I wish. Dumbledore asked us to keep our mouths shut about it, but you need to know. The prophecy that convinced James and Lily to go into hiding, the one that says Harry's in danger… it also says that either he or Voldemort will have to kill the other."

Callie stared at him, mouth agape in horror. Her blood ran like ice. The thought of little Harry, with James' happy features and Lily's gleaming eyes, facing down Voldemort was enough to make her sick. She ran a hand over her face, stopping at her mouth, and bit into her lower lip until she tasted blood.

"Did it say who wins?" she finally asked.

"No. But Harry needs the best shot we can give him. And the whole world needs the bloody Dark Lord gone as soon as possible."

Callie thought of little Harry again. Holding a wand, a pale face, nose-less face with gleaming red eyes laughing at him. She saw a burst of green light and Harry fall. Dead.

"How can I help?" She nearly blurted it, as if Harry would drop dead in a moment if she didn't do something now.

Marlene smiled, the first to answer. "You can help us convince the Ministry this is real threat."

"Impossible," Regulus stated.

"No, it isn't," Marlene argued. "If we can get enough people on board, we can convince the Ministry. Right, Sirius?"

Sirius didn't look confident. He stared at the floor in thought. "The Ministry is more likely to laugh us off, Mar. You've seen it before."

"But with something this important-"

Regulus stood up, wincing slightly as his arm burned hotter. "I'm being summoned."

Sirius looked up tensely. "Think they know?"

"I can't tell!" Regulus snapped. The fear in his eyes was now reflected on his pale face and in the quaver in his voice. "The Dark Mark burns, Sirius, it doesn't give complex messages." He looked at Callie. "I'll be in touch."

Callie nodded. "Listen, I have a theory about the Death Eaters. Could you find out which ones are trying to right personal wrongs?"

"I'll make a list of weak-willed ones, yes," Regulus translated. He walked to the door and disappeared into the night without so much as a "goodbye."

Callie looked between Sirius and Marlene. Sirius was visibly tenser as his brother left. Marlene set a hand on his knee in a comforting gesture. Callie took another drink.

"How long has this been going on, exactly?" she asked.

"Nine years," Sirius replied. "Well, Reg's been a spy for nine years." He chuckled dryly. "The little idiot was going to get the Horcrux by himself; can you believe that? He was going to take Kreature." He rolled her eyes as if it was the most idiotic thing he'd ever heard.

But not even the annoyance in his voice could mask his obvious sense of pride.

"We should be going," Marlene said, standing. "We've got a lot of work to catch up on. Are you coming in tomorrow, Callie?"

"To work? Yes, of course." She gave Sirius a pointed look. "Are you?"

Sirius pretended to ignore her meaning. "Yep. 8:30." He stood and stretched. "Thanks for the whiskey. You're on board, right?"

"If it will save Harry, I'll do anything."

He smirked wolfishly. "Anything? I do so love it when they say that."

"You look just like your cousin."

He let out a bark of a laugh. "You've got to be a bit mad to survive in this world, love."

Callie looked at Marlene. "Is he drunk?"

She made a face. "You don't want to see him really drunk. He's a mess." She took her bottle and Sirius' to the kitchen to dispose of them. She took Sirius' hand and pulled him gently to the door. "Thanks for having us, Callie. You have a lovely home." She smiled.

"Wait!" Sirius interrupted. "My key."

Callie took it out of her pocket and tossed it to him. "Try not to give it to more Death Eaters?"

He made no promise. They said goodbye, and vanished together. Seconds after closing the door, Callie heard the engine of a motorbike rev.

She didn't bother cleaning up. She went straight to bed, but didn't sleep. The images of little Harry battling Voldemort kept her awake.

She rose early, dressed, and went for a walk before work. The cool, morning air helped clear her head. She enjoyed it so much that she was very nearly late to work. When she arrived, the office was full of an unusual amount of tension. Eyes kept glancing at her compulsively. She located Sirius sitting outside the new chief's office. He didn't look good.

"What's wrong?" Callie asked.

He looked up at her, eyes gleaming. "You've been reassigned."

She stopped. "What? What do you mean?"

"Mar told them about the Horcruxes," he practically growled. "They didn't believe her, obviously."

"I'm confused. Why am I being reassigned?"

He snarled. "Because they think you're most disposable."

The office door opened. Lockwood, the new Head of Office, blocked the doorway. He was tall and fairly massive, but moved quick and had a very keen eye. He sized Callie up and gestured to his office. "Potter," he said.

Sirius stood. "All due respect, Sir-"

"No, Black, you're the wait out here," Lockwood snapped. "Potter. Now."

Callie and Sirius shared a look. She took a breath and followed Lockwood inside. He closed the door with a wave of his wand and sat behind his desk. "McKinnon told me something interesting," he began. "According to her, Voldemort is creating Horcruxes. Do you believe this?"

Callie hesitated. "I do, Sir."

"Yes, so do I." He glanced down a piece of parchment, then back up at her. "Don't look so surprised, Potter; your eyes will pop out." He focused back on the sheet of parchment. "I've been studying your recent cases. You're a good Auror in the making, Potter. One of the best I've seen. That's why I'm moving you up to work solo, and giving you the most vital mission of the war. You're going to find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes."

Callie stopped. She saw through the flattery easily. This wasn't about her skill. This was a political move. Putting the weakest link on a wild goose chase to prove the Aurors were following up every lead. Each Horcrux would be hidden impossibly well, and finding them would likely take years.

"I'll be working this case alone, Sir?" she asked.

"What; you think you can't handle it?"

She cleared her throat. "No, Sir, it's not that." She paused. She thought of Harry again. She saw the fear behind Regulus' eyes and all he was risking. She thought of her theory about the Death Eaters.

This wasn't a suicide mission. It didn't have to be.

This was an opportunity to work alone, play by her own rules.

"Yes, Sir. I'll take the case. When do I start?"

"As soon as possible, Potter. Today. I'll expect regular reports of your progress, but there will be no need for you to come into the office. You're on your own. Consider this a golden opportunity."

"I am, Sir. Thank you." She saluted and walked out.

She stilled her trembling knees and eased her pounding heart. Sirius looked at her like she would keel over any second.

Callie smiled a little. "Sirius, I'll be fine," she promised. "I'm a Potter."

"That's why I'm worried. James will skin me alive if I let anything happen-"

"This isn't your choice, okay? I will be fine."

Sirius sighed deeply. He ran a hand through his hair absently before looking at her again. She couldn't tell what exactly he was feeling now. Fear? Pride? Relief?

He held out his hand, and she took it. His grip was firm, and somehow reassuring. He let go of her hand and gripped her arms, stepping in closer. So close she could feel the heat from his skin as he whispered in hear ear, "I know you can do this. If you need _anything,_ you know where to find me."

Callie took a deep breath to steady herself, and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Thanks." She gave him a tight, reassuring smile as he pulled away. "You'll be the first person I call."

He nodded. She could tell he wasn't nearly satisfied, but he never would be with this. "Thanks, Sirius, for all your help."

"Don't mention it." He smiled. "See you around."

Callie turned and walked out. Her steps became lighter the farther she went, but she couldn't shake the fear that she may never see him again.


	10. Cuts and Bruises

June 19, 1989

Callie felt the moor materialize around her as her body stretched out of the contortion of apparition. Her knees gave out and she collapsed to the ground. The scenery around her seemed to spin with her head and stomach. Her vision blurred and darkened. Stones pressed into her flesh through her torn and charred shirt.

She had to get up. She _had_ to.

She pushed herself to sit up and get her bearings. Stars flickered down at her from a cloudless sky as the crescent moon grinned. Grey-green bathed in silver light stretched as far as she could see. The satchel around her shoulders pulled her down, as if trying to drag her into the earth. Blood made the dirt under her right side damp.

She had to get somewhere safe. Every Death Eater in the country would be looking for her, and if they found her, she didn't think she'd stand a chance like this.

She took a deep breath. She bit her lip as her breath caught with the sting of ribs grinding against torn muscle. Her left hand grasped her right side. Blood seeped between her fingers.

She _had_ to get somewhere safe.

She pictured the little cottage where she'd stayed for the last few months, and prepared to make the jump. She stopped, changing her mind. Peter and his mother would be put in danger. She couldn't do that to them.

Another little building crossed her mind. A smallish, messy little shack in a forest. She'd be safe there, at least for the night, and almost definitely alone. She thought she remembered Sirius saying he'd abandoned it ages ago. And anyway, it didn't matter. He wouldn't be there. She could treat her wounds, get a couple hours' sleep, and then get the package to Dumbledore for disposal. It was certainly better and safer than staying out in the open moor.

Her mind made up, she clenched her teeth and apparated to just outside the place. Her body tipped forward, but she balanced herself again before falling. She kept her hand firmly pressed to the open gash. With staggering steps, she made her way through the barrier of stinging spells and up to the locked door. Callie held her wand between her teeth while her free hand dug the rusty key from her pocket and turned it in the lock. Sending a silent thanks to Sirius for insisting she keep the key to his safe house, she tumbled inside and leaned against the door to close it.

The smell of dusty parchment greeted her. Light from the pensive danced in the corner, setting an eerie tone. Faces of Death Eaters still stared from the walls, but old notes had been replaced with new ones, and the maze of magical string connecting thoughts had changed.

A wave of sadness washed over her. She missed Sirius desperately.

Or maybe it was just the blood loss and pain.

With a wave of her wand, Callie lit a few candles. She stumbled to the kitchen and leaned heavily against the counter. She didn't dare drop the satchel, so she carried it with her. Nausea struck her and she closed her eyes until it passed. She couldn't look at the wound; she'd learned early on her quest that she'd vomit if she saw her own bones. Her stomach was embarrassingly weak. All the same, she _needed_ to stop the bleeding.

A lock clicked. She froze.

Had they found her? Already? Through the oceans of spells protecting this place?

Her grip hardened around her wand. She could get in a few spells before passing out, right?

The door swung open and closed again. The soft footsteps stopped two feet from the door. From her position, she couldn't see who it was. The steps resumed, heading her way. She pointed the wand toward the door, a nasty curse on her tip of her tongue.

Sirius stopped in shock when he saw her. He scanned her, taking in the blood seeping from her side, her torn clothes, and the burn marks peppering her skin in less than a second.

Her wand hand fell to her side when she registered he wasn't a threat. She opened her mouth to apologize for intruding. Her vision darkened again and she tipped headfirst toward the tiled floor.

Sirius darted and caught her as she fell. He tried to steady her, but quickly realized she was too weak to stand, and picked her up. He carried her gently to the couch. Parchment and books scattered as he cleared them before laying her down.

He swore. "What happened?" he demanded, but she barely heard it.

The world was slipping away. She felt like she was drowning, being pulled under the surface of some nameless abyss.

He muttered a spell and forced her awake. The pain, dulled temporarily by delirium, returned in waves. She uttered a strangled cry of pain. His hand pressed an already-soaked cloth to her wound, trying to stem the flow of blood. Sirius gently cupped her cheek with his free hand and spoke to her in an attempt to encourage her.

"Listen to me, Callie, stay awake." She heard the stress in Sirius' voice. "I know it hurts, love, but you've got to bear with me, okay?"

She forced her eyes to focus, and turned her head slightly to look at Sirius. He met her gaze. She couldn't even tell the smile he gave was forced. Relief filled her, temporarily dulling the pain again.

"There she is," he said, and grinned. "Are you going to be okay?"

"How-how bad is it?" Her voice was choked, dry.

He glanced at the wound again. His grin faltered. He looked back at her. "It's not bad." She knew he was lying, but she appreciated it. "Why don't we get you to St Mungo's just to be sure, though?"

Callie shook her head. "I can't. They'll find me."

He saw her fear. His eyes flashed to the wound, then back at her. He hesitated. "Okay. I'll fix you up. It'll be painful, though. Can you handle it?" His certainty diminished with every word.

She nodded.

"Okay." He examined the wound through the rips in her shirt. His brow was furrowed in concentration. Callie had rarely seen him so focused, and it scared her a little. His eyes found hers again, and he gave her an apologetic smile. "I need to get this off you."

She blushed, but nodded. He guided her hand back to the wound and told her to keep pressure. First, he pulled the satchel from around her and set it on the floor beside the sofa. Her fingers curled around the strap, refusing to let go despite his scolding. Next, his fingers quickly undid the buttons of her shirt and pulled it off gently. He pushed her undershirt up to below her chest, exposing the gaping wound.

His hand right hand took over at her side, letting her rest. Taking his wand again, he pointed it in the general direction of the kitchen. " _Accio,_ potions." A collection of vials of varying sizes flew into the room and set themselves down by his feet. Still holding the cloth to her side, he hunted through the collection until he found the right one. "It tastes like crap, but it'll help with the pain," he explained. He pressed it to her free hand and searched for another potion.

Callie felt the pain ebb away into a dull ache. No longer kept awake by the assault on her torn nerves, she felt the darkness call her again. It clutched at her mind, pulling her into darkness. Sirius faded in and out of vision.

"Hey!" he snapped, startling her partially awake. "Stay with me!"

He set another vile to her lips and poured it into her mouth, forcing her to choke it down. It was thick and vile. She coughed, but eventually the contents slid down her throat. The world came back into focus. Before she knew it, she couldn't fall asleep even if she wanted to. She was hyper aware of everything – the odor of her blood mixed with the smell of the little-used shack, Sirius' hand pressed firmly to her side, the couch underneath her. Everything but the slackened pain in her side screamed for her attention.

"What did you give me?" she demanded.

"The first one dull the pain, the other one keeps you awake," he explained. "I ran out of the one that slows bleeding. Sorry about that."

His eyes focused on the slash in her flesh. He gripped his wand and muttered a spell. She felt her muscle begin to stitch itself together again, but it stopped. He tried another one. Same result. The last one seemed to work a little better, but the wound still wasn't closing.

"What in Merlin's name did you get yourself into, Potter?" he scolded. His brow was knit together. She knew that look. She probably wasn't going to make it. A sick sensation settled in her stomach with the revelation.

She wasn't going to make it.

He looked at her again and saw the look in her eyes. A bloody hand cupped her cheek again and his eyes bored into hers. "Stop that right now," he ordered. "You're going to be fine."

She swallows hard, trying to stop the panic rising in her chest. "Sirius… I need you to do something for me."

He shook his head and turned back to the wound. "Do it yourself later." He filed through the potions and handed her another one. "Drink this. It'll buy us some time."

She obeyed wordlessly. It tasted metallic: a Blood Replenishing potion. She coughed again, nearly spitting it out, before swallowing it. She felt a little stronger for it.

Callie smiled a little and joked, "Not trying to slip me Amortentia, I hope."

He smirked and flashed her a grin. "Like I need to." She laughed. He tried another spell to no avail. "Seriously, though, what did this?"

"A dragon."

He smirked. "A dragon? Really, you have all the fun."

She returned the smile. "I was working, Black; it wasn't for fun."

"Sure." He grinned at her, and looked back at the wound. He tried one final spell. It closed partially, but still bled. "Well… I guess I'll have to stitch it."

Callie froze. "You? You're going to stitch my side closed with your bare hands?"

"And needle and thread, but yeah. Do you have a better suggestion, because I'd love to hear it?"

She didn't. He conjured a needle and thread. Assuring her he'd sewn something at least once, Sirius took a breath and threaded the needle through her skin. She didn't feel much, and wasn't sure if she preferred that to knowing what he was doing. Callie tried to look once, but nearly vomited, so she settled for looking at the ceiling.

"I should have given you something to make you relax," Sirius said after the fourth command to loosen up.

"You did," Callie reminded. "And then you promptly woke me back up."

He chuckled, making another stitch. Slowly, the lips of her wound sealed closed. It would leave a rather nasty scar, but she said it didn't really matter. She wasn't dating anyone, and it wasn't like he'd see it even if she was. That made Sirius laugh, and he very nearly screwed the whole thing up. After a while, the gash was closed. It still leaked blood, but it wasn't pouring anymore, and both agreed that was an improvement. Sirius made her sit up so he could bandage it. He summoned a spool of gauze and a roll of thin cloth to wrap around her waist to keep the bandage secure.

Callie watched him mess with the gauze, calculating how much she needed. She smiled a little. "Sirius, I'm really sorry about this. I didn't think you'd be here; I was going to take care of it myself and shuffle on."

"I'm glad I came, then. You'd have dropped dead in a couple hours. Can you imagine how traumatizing it would be for me to come here weeks later and find a rotting corpse, probably unrecognizable at that point? I'd never get the smell out of this place."

It was a joke, but his cocksure grin wasn't reflected in his eyes. And Callie could just detect an underlying note of pain in his tone. Like that was one of his worst fears. Was he really that worried about her?

"Well, thanks to you, I'll muddle through." She smiled a little. "What are you even doing here? Are you working on a case?"

"Always. I'm trying to find some idiot that's been impersonating my dear old cousin, Mrs. Lestrange." Callie looked away, cheeks burning. Sirius glanced up and saw her expression. "Merlin's pants, don't tell me you're it!"

Callie nodded guiltily. He laughed and shook his head. "Lovely. Now I have to frame someone to cover up for you. But anyway, that's not why I'm here." He cut off a length of gauze at last, folded it a few times, and pressed it to the jagged, swollen line on her side. "I set up a spell that warns me if anyone crosses the spell barrier outside. I had no idea it was you, of course, but I thought I'd better check it out, and sure enough! My perfect instincts were right once again." Sirius started to unwind the sheet of cloth. "So what's in the bag?"

Callie smirked. "You know that's classified."

He looked up at her without raising his head and grinned. "My ex-partner shows up after ten months with a gaping wound in her side, bleeding all over my safe house. And I, without hesitation, patch her up expertly. And I'm also going to have to come up with an elaborate scheme to prove someone else has been impersonating Bellatrix Lestrange to do Godric knows what to keep my ex-partner out of the spotlight." He smirked wickedly. "I think I deserve some answers, no?"

Callie hesitated. He was right; he did deserve answers after all this. She sighed deeply. "It's a Horcrux," she answered.

"Which one?"

"A cup that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. It was in the Lestrange vault. That's why I've been parading around as Bellatrix."

He smirked slowly, a malicious ice creeping through his eyes. "So you have her wand?"

"Yes, of course. It's in the bag."

Sirius grinned, and picked up the bag. He drew out the curved wand belonging to his cousin and regarded it for a moment. Without ceremony, he snapped it in two.

Callie rolled her eyes. "Was that as satisfying as you'd hoped?"

"More than." He went back to fixing her up. "Carry on."

"There was a dragon guarding the vault. It nicked me as I ran past."

Sirius scoffed. "'Nicked?' This is more than a friendly little nick, love."

"Well, it cut a guard in two with one swipe, so yeah. For a dragon, that's a graze."

He shook his head. "So you're carrying a Horcrux. Can we just destroy it now?"

"No. You need something coated in Basilisk venom to destroy it. Dumbledore's taking care of that for me."

"Sword of Gryffindor?"

"Yeah, he…" Callie stopped and looked at him. "Wait, how did you know that?"

Sirius smirked. He pushed himself off the floor and sat on the edge of the couch, facing her. "James and I spent enough detentions in Dumbledore's office. The sword and I are old friends."

He took the end of the roll of cloth and held it against her side. A wave of heat swept through Callie, suddenly realizing how close he was. Her face burned. Sirius reached around her, carefully wrapping the bandage around her torso. He wrapped it around a few times, coming closer to pass the cloth between his hands behind her back, then withdrawing again to do the same in front of her. Callie briefly wondered what on earth he gave her to make her respond like this to such a simple action. The second potion he'd forced her to drink made her hyper aware of his every gesture. It was very nearly maddening.

The fifth pass he made behind her, she lost control.

"I missed you."

Sirius stopped. She realized what she said and blushed deeper, wishing the floor would just swallow her up. He didn't move for a full ten seconds, so long she began to get concerned. She nearly panicked when he drew closer.

"I missed you, too."

His voice was a whisper. Soft, almost seductive. She shivered. His hand touched the skin of her back, and her breath caught.

"Callie," he said, not quite a whisper anymore, but far too low to be considered professional, "why do you always tremble when I get close to you?"

She didn't have an answer. And she didn't want to answer. She swallowed roughly, hardly daring to move, much less speak.

She felt him sigh when she didn't answer. His breath tickled the skin of her neck, and she very nearly whimpered. What he would have done if she'd made a sound, she wasn't sure. She was as scared to find out as she was curious. Every story she'd ever heard about him being a stupid, insensitive playboy at Hogwarts and into his twenties flooded her mind. She remembered those days he'd taken off work to be with Marlene. Was he still with her? She hadn't heard from either of them in ten months. They could be married, for all she knew.

The horror of that thought gave her the strength she needed. Callie pulled away. Their eyes met, and for a moment she knew she'd made a terrible mistake. The way he looked at her made her blood run like lava. His usual mask of carefully concealed emotion was gone, leaving some dangerous mix in his eyes. Something like desire, longing, and sadness rolled into one.

She swallows again, and bit her lip in nervousness. With a tremendous effort, she tore her eyes away from his. The spell between them was broken, but Sirius still hesitated before pulling farther away. She looked everywhere but at him as his hands deftly tied off the ends of the bandage around her, making sure it was tight enough against the stitched-up wound.

"You're still pretty scraped up," he said. "Do you want me to-"

"No," Callie interrupted. "I've got it. Thanks."

He merely nodded. "How do you feel?"

She felt hot, exposed, and very uncomfortable, but she said, "Better, now that I'm not bleeding out anymore." She managed a small smile. "Thank you, Sirius."

Sirius shrugged like it was no big deal. "Can't have you dying on me, now can I? I promised James I'd keep you safe, and I'd rather avoid his wrath if I can help it."

At the mention of her brother, Callie felt a weight settle in her stomach. He'd promised James… She felt so stupid.

"I really need to get that to Dumbledore tonight," she said. "Every moment I waste, they're closer to finding it and getting it back."

"They won't find you here," Sirius assured. He paused, rather awkwardly. "Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm okay. I'm just tired, really. I guess I'll get a few hours' sleep, then get out of your hair."

"No rush." Sirius stood and stretched. He yawned wide, almost like a puppy. The thought made Callie smile a little. "I'll give you something to help you sleep. Those potions will be wearing off soon." He gathered the vials one by one until finding a mild sleeping potion, and handed to her.

She took it and gave it an experimental sniff. Trying to regain some ease between them, she smirked and joked, "How do I know for sure you're not slipping me Amortentia?"

He returned her smile, but he wasn't joking when he replied, "I told you: I don't have to." He took the empty vial from her. "Get some sleep."

The potion worked in moments. She was barely aware when he pulled a blanket over her, and didn't feel his fingers brush over her cheek, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her last thought before the unknown gripped her was how screwed she was.


	11. Friendly Gossip

July 31, 1989

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Callie knelt and hugged her nephew tightly.

"You came, Aunt Callie!" Harry announced joyfully. "I thought you'd be too busy!"

She pulled away and held him at arms' length. "Too busy to drop by my favorite nephew's birthday party? Never." She beamed. "I brought you something." From behind her back, she produced a carefully wrapped box. Harry grinned and took it.

"Wow! Thank you!" He hugged her again, and yelled over his shoulder, "Mum! Aunt Callie came!" He ushered her into the room and closed the door before rushing into the kitchen, carrying his present.

Callie chuckled and followed him. She thought she recognized all the voices coming from the kitchen. No sooner had she stepped inside than she was fairly knocked over by Lily's embrace.

"Callie! Merlin, it's been ages! We were getting so worried!" Lily pulled away and looked her up and down, inspecting her for cuts or burns. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Callie chuckled and took her hands. "I'm fine, Lily, really. Thanks for letting me turn up like this."

"Sirius was just telling us about the dragon," Marlene said. Callie turned to see her at the kitchen table, Sirius standing behind her.

James grinned and slapped her on her back, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "I always knew my little sis would turn into a dragon-vanquishing hero!"

Callie laughed, pushing her brother away. "Thanks, James, but please." She glanced at Sirius, catching his eye. How much had he said, exactly?

"He was just getting to the part where you escaped with only a handful of minor scrapes," Remus reported. He smiled at her. "Hi, Callie. It's good to see you again." Callie noticed he looked thinner and wearier than ever.

Callie greeted them all warmly, even Marlene. Molly Weasley showed up a few minutes later, bringing her youngest two children, Ron and Ginny. Harry immediately pulled Ron outside to play Quidditch with him, and Minerva, Harry's little sister, brought Ginny upstairs to play with her dolls. Ginny cast a long-suffering look back at her mother, but got no pity at all. She clearly would rather play with the boys.

Callie took a butterbeer from the table and slunk to the outskirts of the room. She was exhausted. Hot on the trail of the third Horcrux, which she and Dumbledore both suspected was the Gaunt Family ring, she barely had time to think, much less sleep. She knew where it was: the ruins of the Gaunt shack, where the last of the family had lived. But it was protected by powerful, dark magic, and getting through the barrier was proving to be difficult.

She watched Harry from the kitchen window. He was riding James' favorite broom, soaring up and looping around, dodging the old, weather-beaten Bludgers. He and Ron tossed the Quaffle back and forth. It was obvious now that James' early predictions were likely to come true: the boy just might be the youngest Quidditch player of the century. She smiled at the thought of what Professor McGonagall would say when she saw him.

"He's just like his father, isn't he?"

Callie looked and saw Remus standing beside her. She smiled, and turned back to the boys in the yard. "Yes. Just like him."

They watched Harry for a while longer. He threw the Quaffle to Ron, who caught it clumsily, lost his balance, and toppled off his broom into the dirt. Laughing so hard he almost fell himself, Harry swooped down to check on his friend.

"How are you, Remus?" Callie asked. "It's been a long time. We never did manage to find time to grab the mug of butterbeer."

"No, we didn't. I'm afraid that's my fault."

"It's alright." She smiled at him. "It's really good to see you. Have you found a steady job yet?"

"No, not yet," he replied heavily. "Work is hard to come by these days."

Callie grinned. "What about a girlfriend?"

Remus chuckled. "Why are you all on my case about that?"

"Because you always look so sad!"

"There's a war, Callie. Am I supposed to look happy?"

"Well, happier." Callie turned back to the window. "I still say, at the very least, you could use a friend that's a girl."

"Your suggestion is accepted and filed away," Remus assured. He was quiet for a moment, watching the boys resume their game. "So… you and Sirius?"

Callie stopped. She whirled around and glared at him. "What are you talking about?" she hissed. "There is nothing going on."

Remus smirked. "Callie, do you know how many times he's bragged about the accomplishments of a woman? Exactly once, and that was about Lily landing James."

"Doesn't matter," Callie argued. "That'll never happen."

Lily called the kids back in. Everyone gathered around the table. Harry was sat at the head of the table, in the place of honor. A red and gold birthday hat was set on his head, and the heavenly smells from the kitchen finally revealed their source as Lily brought forth the cake. Everyone sang an off-tune "happy birthday" with varying levels of skill. The cake was cut, the pieces passed out and devoured in minutes. For the first time since everyone there could remember, the air was full of laughter. Not a negative sound or emotion was present.

Presents were brought out after a while. Harry received a sweater with the Chudley Cannons emblem from Remus, a book of mythology from Marlene, a broom servicing kit from Callie, and a brand new set of Quidditch balls from Sirius. He and Ron dragged the heavy case out into the yard to break in the new Quidditch set. James and Remus reluctantly handed over a Galleon each to Sirius for once again winning the favorite present award.

"It's not fair," James complained. "I wish I had an uncle who paid me for leaving my family."

Sirius pocketed the money with a smug smirk. "Guess I know your kid better than you do, Prongs."

Lily began clearing the plates. "Callie, will you help me with this?"

Callie turned her attention from the photos on the wall. "Sure, Lily." She gathered the remainder of the plates and took them into the kitchen.

Lily put them all in the sink and ran the water. "Okay, spill," she demanded. "What is going on between you and Sirius?"

Callie groaned and rolled her eyes. "Not you, too! Why does everyone think there's something going on?"

Lily took up a plate and started washing it by hand. "Because the only person Sirius will actively brag about and be serious when doing it is Harry, his godson. So come on. Spill it."

Callie took the towel hanging on the rack and began drying the plates Lily held to her. "Honestly, Lily, nothing's going on. I've only seen him once since I got this assignment last September. Maybe he's bragging on me because he taught me pretty much everything I know about being an Auror."

"No, that's definitely not it. He coached Peter through becoming an Animagus, and you don't hear him bragging on Peter."

Callie stopped. "Wait… Peter's an Animagus?"

Lily froze. She turned slowly to look at Callie. "You didn't know that?"

"Should I have known that?"

"Callie… they're all Animagi but Remus."

Callie stared at her friend for a full thirty seconds in shock. Animagi? How could they have possibly kept that from her all these years? "When did that happen?"

"Their fifth year in Hogwarts, according to James," Lily answered. "They're unregistered."

"Well, obviously!"

"Wait a moment. You worked with Sirius for how long, and never saw him change into that monstrous animal?" She looked mildly impressed. "He's better than I thought."

"No! Never!"

Lily gave her a look. "You never heard or saw anything suspicious?"

Callie thought hard. She supposed that time in the forest her second month was a bit odd, when she lost him for a few moments. And when they stormed the Riddle Estate and were faced by that giant dog guarding the cellar… he'd told them to go on ahead, and she could have sworn she'd heard two animals when he was out of sight. And he'd been wiping blood from his mouth, but there was no cut.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "He's an Animagus! An illegal Animagus!"

Lily laughed. "Yes, Callie, he's an illegal Animagus. And keep your voice down; they'll hear you."

"What animal?"

Lily did not look impressed. "Take a guess."

"A bear? A giant, brown bear like from Alaska?"

Lily shook her head in disappointment. It rather called to mind McGonagall. "Honestly, you call yourself an Auror? I'm getting concerned."

"Shut up and just tell me, Lily!"

"I think not!" She resumed the washing smugly. "I'll let you figure it out for yourself. Force you to think more about him."

"You've been spending far too much time with my brother," Callie accused.

"And you've been spending far too little time with Sirius." Lily argued. "Tell me what's going on. I know you want to. Did you sleep with him?"

"No! Oh, Godric, no! How could you even suggest that!?"

Lily shrugged. "Because there is absolutely some tension between you two. Palpable tension."

"No, Lily, I did not have sex with Sirius Black. And I cannot believe we're even talking about this. This is disgusting." Callie scoffed loudly. "And I don't know about any tension."

"Don't insult my intelligence. Sirius and James came as a package deal when James and I got married. Sirius was here _all the time._ I know him almost as well as I know James. And let me tell you… you're special."

"Yeah. I'm special because I'm James' little sister and he promised James he'd look after me."

Lily's eyes lit with realization. "Ah," she said. "There is it." She smirked. "Well, don't you worry about that. I'll talk to James. He won't stand in the way of you two anymore."

Callie was beginning to lose her patience. "This is ridiculous! James isn't standing in the way of anything because there's nothing for him to stay in the way of!"

Lily changed tactics. "Listen. Sirius and I have been good friends and from time to time, he confides in me. So I might as well tell you that he told me what really happened with that dragon. So you can drop the act."

Callie scoffed. "Oh, did he? And what did he say?"

"Well, he said you two… had a moment."

"Had a moment? What are we, Lily, fifteen? What did he really say?"

"He said you nearly died, and he patched you up, and you all but kissed."

Callie growled in annoyance. "Damn his ego! That's not how it happened at all."

"He also said that seeing you bleeding out like that… well, he said he's never been so scared in his life. He said it took ages for the wound to close, and every second he got more scared of losing you. And he said that if he lost you, he didn't know what he'd do." Lily glanced over to see how Callie would take this.

"First of all, that was said in private, and I don't think you should be telling me what he told you in private. Second, don't you dare tell him anything I've said in this whole conversation."

"Callie! He's afraid of losing you! Don't you know what that means?"

Callie sighed deeply, setting down the plate she was holding. Her chest felt heavy, her insides squirmed. She drew a deep breath to steady herself and push down the flood of emotion before speaking. "Look… I like Sirius. I really do. He's a great friend, and it's nice to know there's someone out there who's looking out for me. But… look, there's a war on. Both of us… neither of us have any time for anything but making sure we save as many people are possible! This isn't about us!"

Lily looked at her friend for a moment, considering what she'd said. "If things were different, and there wasn't a war… would you be interested in him?"

"Things aren't different. And to be honest… I can't even imagine what life without all of this would even look like."

"Callie…" Lily sighed. She put the plate down, dried off her hands, and took Callie's hands in hers. "Listen… you're doing such amazing things. And I know it's all for Harry, to protect him, and I cannot even begin to thank you for that. Just be careful, alright? You've got to find some hope somewhere that things will get better. Not just for other people, but yourself, too. Maybe Sirius can be that for you."

"Aurors are dying almost every day, Lily. The odds of both of us surviving…"

"Everyone dies sometime. If Sirius died tomorrow, would you have any regrets?"

Callie thought about it. Yes… she would. More than she cared to count. She took her hands away and went back to drying dishes to keep from answering.

"That's what brought James and I together," Lily continued. "We knew we couldn't have any regrets, so we got married. You've to live every day like it's your last, Callie."

Callie was silent for a long while. Tears stung her eyes, threatening to spill over. She blinked them back furiously. "Lily… he's with Marlene."

Lily shrugged. "Marlene is one of my best friends, and I would never want to see her unhappy, but honestly… they're not going to make it. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but they've been fighting a lot recently."

"That doesn't mean anything. They've been on and off since school, right?"

"Yes," Lily admitted. "But they've never fought like this."

"That doesn't mean a thing," Callie argued.

Lily let out a deep breath and handed over the last dish. "I can see I won't get anywhere," she conceded. "So, as much as I hate it, I'll leave you to figure it out yourself. I just hope you do before one of you gets killed."

Callie dried the dish and set it down. She looked at her sister-in-law. "Thank you, Lily. I appreciate your concern. I really do."

Lily nodded. "I just wish you'd take this seriously."

"I am taking it seriously," Callie promised. "There are just other things that I need to take more seriously. Like protecting Harry."

"I know. I just don't want you to have regrets. If you love someone, you should tell them."

The kitchen door opened, and James poked his head in. "Remus has to take off," he reported. He seemed to notice the earnestness in the air, and glanced between them. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No," Callie said, stepping away. "We were just finishing up the dishes." She pushed past her brother and back into the dining room. Her eyes fell almost automatically on Sirius. He was talking with Remus and Marlene about something she couldn't hear. Now that she was paying attention, it was easy to see that something between Sirius and Marlene was strained. She was surprised she hadn't realized it sooner.

Callie carefully chose to file away most of the conversation to a little drawer in her mind that she'd open at a much later date. The first part she recalled immediately. Sirius was an Animagus? Clearly, she was not the Auror she thought she was. Maybe if she'd been in Hufflepuff it would have been easier to see.

Her curiosity was almost all-consuming. What animal was he?

Remus glanced over and smiled. He nodded her over. She noticed that Sirius stilled when he noticed her watching him. She wasn't the only one; Marlene took notice as well.

Not wishing to stay long enough to make things awkward, Callie politely said her goodbyes. Sirius smiled and cracked a joke about her having a hot date, but after the conversation with Lily, it was impossible for Callie not to notice the odd look hidden in his eyes. She laughed it off. She went outside to give Harry a hug, said a quick goodbye to James and Lily, and left as quickly as she could.

Try as she might to block them out, Lily's words haunted her every step. Callie wondered what on earth Lily had told Sirius to do, and what else Sirius had told her.

She couldn't afford to be distracted like this. Harry went to Hogwarts in two short years, and there were still five Horcruxes to be destroyed.


	12. Flight from Death

December 30, 1989

Callie was cornered.

In her hand she clutched a Basilisk fang. At her feet lay Tom Riddle's diary. At her back pressed the North wall of Malfoy Manor. In front of her, three wands were pointed at her heart, and a pair of demonic red eyes stared into her soul.

It was surprising, now that she thought about it. She'd been destroying pieces of his soul for over a year, and this was the first time she'd come face-to-face with Voldemort. It wasn't really that he wasn't frightening up close, but it helped ease her imagination now that she was actually looking at the real thing. Aside from the massive snake curling around his feet, and the bone-white wand in his hand, he wasn't terribly horrifying compared to her imagination.

"Give me the diary," he hissed, "and I shall make your death painless."

Callie knew all she had to do was drop the fang. Even if she didn't outright stab it, it would cause irreparable damage to the piece of soul inside. Voldemort knew it, too, or she'd be dead by now.

"Tell me where Sirius Black is," she bargained, "and I'll consider it."

Sirius had been missing one week. In the middle of a war, that probably meant he was dead. Except he was one of the best Aurors in the business and also Secret Keeper to Peter Pettigrew, who was Secret Keeper to Harry Potter. And there was nothing Voldemort wanted more than Harry Potter's whereabouts. If he was at all intelligent, he'd keep Sirius alive and either use him as a bargaining chip, or torture him to information.

Callie dearly hoped it was the former.

The book at her feet whispered. Pages turned, but there was no breeze. It was clearly alive. If Dumbledore was right, that book held half of Voldemort's soul, which was far more than his body possessed.

She knew there was no way out of this. As soon as she dropped the fang, she was a dead woman. And with two more Horcruxes to find, one of which they had yet to even identify, she wasn't quite ready to die yet.

"Regulus," Voldemort hissed.

Callie's eyes snapped to the person on Voldemort's left. Clearly, Regulus understood whatever his master meant. He lowered his wand and slunk out of the room. She couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. His face was a perfect mask of indifferent hatred. Callie knew when he got back, it might be all over. Regulus had to protect his identity as a spy at all cost. Hoping they'd comply with her terms was foolish at best. There were any number of things they could do to her. They could blow up the wall behind her, forcing the fang out of her hand. They could summon the fang and kill her as it left her person. But Voldemort wouldn't risk it. He'd already lost three pieces of his soul. He wouldn't risk another one.

"Why not save yourself pain?" Voldemort coaxed. "Stop being the hero. _Hand it over!_ "

She knew without a doubt that they wouldn't be merciful. They'd still torture her.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how stupid this plan was. Why hadn't she thought it through!?

"Bring Sirius Black to me, or I'll do it," Callie said.

Voldemort's cruel eyes narrowed. Movement toward the back of the room drew Callie's attention. Regulus emerged from the shadows. He was dragging a figure that kept fighting him, but weakly. Sirius.

His clothes were torn, and nearly every inch of exposed fresh was marred and bloody. Whatever they'd done to him, it had been brutal. He was telling Regulus he could go to hell when he looked forward and his eyes met Callie's. The curse died on his lips. The color drained from his face as his eyes widened in horror.

He broke away from Regulus and staggered forward. "Potter, just what in-" The sentenced broke off in a scream. He fell to his knees, twitching and writhing.

Callie couldn't take it. She turned to Voldemort in a terror-filled rage. "Let him go!" she shouted.

Bellatrix stepped out and knelt beside Sirius' thrashing form. She released the curse with a wicked smile. "I told you, my lord," she simpered. She took a handful of his hair and forced his head up. The tip of her wand grazed his neck.

Sirius glared at her, snarling. "Do you worst," he challenged.

She laughed. "See? He does have his uses." Bellatrix stood and struck out with her foot viciously. It connected with his ribs as tried to stand, forcing him to double over. She turned her black eyes to Callie. "Give us the Horcrux."

Callie watched Sirius as he pushed himself to his hands and knees. He coughed, spilling blood on the floor. Insides in turmoil, hardly able to breathe, she turned to Voldemort. "Let him go," she demanded. "Let him go, and I'll give you the book."

"Don't be an idiot!" Sirius snarled. "Get out of-" He shouted in pain, knocked onto his side again by another kick.

" _Crucio!_ " Bellatrix cried.

Sirius clenched his teeth and grunted in pain, but he refused to scream this time. If he showed too much pain, Callie would give in, and they'd both be done for.

"Riddle!" Callie screamed. All eyes turned to her in shock. Bellatrix stopped the curse. Voldemort's eyes gleamed with bloodlust as the sound of his old name. Callie scooped up the book and pressed the tip of the fang into the pages. "I swear to Merlin-"

"Leave us," Voldemort commanded. "All but Bellatrix."

The Death Eaters hesitated. One by one, the masked men on his right retreated. Regulus looked at Callie and for a moment she was sure he was going to come to her aid. But he didn't. He made to drag Sirius away, but stopped at Voldemort's command to "leave the blood traitor." After a second's hesitation, he obeyed.

Callie never thought the presence of more Death Eaters would be comforting, but now that she was left with the Dark Lord and his satanic witch, her blood ran cold. Bellatrix stood by Sirius, now brandishing a curved knife, waiting for orders. Voldemort studied her with those blood red eyes. She felt him reaching into her mind, rummaging through her thoughts. She tried to block it out. All the while, the enormous snake coiled and uncoiled around his feet, always moving, looping through itself in a hypnotic dance.

"Ah," he whispered slowly. "I see. The youngest Potter." He began to pace in front of her, all the while staring into her eyes. His bare feet made no noise on the wooden floor. "Sorted into Slytherin, the House of the Proud."

The snake hissed softly, gilding along the floor by his feet.

"Always fighting," he continued. "Always sacrificing. And all the while, the voice of Slytherin pulls you to the darkness."

"Callie, he's trying to get in your head!" Sirius warned. "Don't listen to him!"

Bellatrix yanked his head up and pressed the blade of the knife to his throat to shut him up. A thin stream of blood trickled from the cut.

Voldemort kept talking. "Your love for your family weakens you. It cripples you. Look where it's brought you. You must know there is no escape from this house." The book in her hands echoed his words, whispering in a language she couldn't understand. "And if I did let you go, what then? You will die. My followers will hunt you like an animal. You will never be safe. Give in."

"Callie!" Sirius shouted. He gasped in pain as Bellatrix dug the knife into his shoulder.

Callie's eyes darted to him. No sooner had she looked away than a cold, bony hand reached from under the dark robes and grabbed her neck. Voldemort's face was inches from hers. His red eyes penetrated straight into her soul. His hand constricted. She couldn't breathe. The scent of death surrounding him made her head throb. The tight muscles of the snake circled around her legs, weaving between her and Voldemort. The snake whispered things too strange to understand. The diary picked up the language and the two spoke as one.

The snake.

It hit her like a bolt of lightning.

The snake was the final Horcrux.

Callie drove the Basilisk fang straight into the notebook.

Voldemort reeled back in pain. The snake writhed around her, flinging itself against the floor. Ink gushed from the book in torrents. She threw it to the side and drew her wand. Voldemort, blinded by ink and rage, lunged for her. She dove to the side. The snake twisted and writhed, splashing ink over the walls, the floor, and her master. Voldemort missed. Callie stood and ran at Bellatrix.

The snake righted itself and made a wild attack. It looped its tail around her leg and dragged her to the ground. Voldemort drew his wand and pulled his arm back for a fatal attack. Ink bathed the floor in black.

Callie twisted onto her back and pointed her wand at the snake. She screamed the most idiotic and distracting curse that came into her head.

" _Fiendfyre!_ "

A white-hot jet of flame burst from her wand. It swirled around the snake and Voldemort. The grip around her leg released. Callie didn't stay to see what became of Voldemort or the Horcrux. She scrambled up as the fire whipped around the room. The North wall was already crumbling. She saw Sirius stand frantically and ran toward her. She didn't see what happened to Bellatrix, nor did she care. The moment she reached Sirius, she clutched his robes and disapparated.

They landed in the middle of a familiar forest, alarming a herd of Thestrals as they appeared out of thin air. Sirius lost his balance and fell backward into a pile of leaves with Callie on top of him. Callie felt the blood seeping through his shirt. She rolled off of him and lay on her back, trying to catch her breath. The sounds of the Forbidden Forest rose around them. The night air was bitterly cold, but it was certainly preferable to the place they'd just left.

After several minutes, she heard Sirius laugh. Confused and a bit worried for his sanity, she looked over at him. He howled with laughter, clutching his stomach in a real, deep, genuine guffaw. Callie couldn't help but smile and chuckle a little with him.

"What in the name of Merlin just happened!?" Sirius asked the forest at large. He laughed again.

Callie chuckled and covered her eyes with her arm. "How are we even alive?"

Sirius wiped a muddy hand down his face and sighed. "That… was insane." He turned his head and looked at her. "You okay?"

Callie laughed again and checked herself. She didn't seem to be hurt badly. She nodded and looked at him. "Yeah. You?"

"I'm alive, so I'm significantly better than I thought I'd be." With the laughter and adrenaline both used up, he was suddenly exhausted. Every inch of his body ached. "We should probably get moving," he sighed regretfully. "They'll be after us."

Callie nodded. "Yeah." She forced herself to sit up. She looked down at him. He really didn't look good. His face was a concerning greenish color, and blood still oozed from his shoulder and neck. "Can you move?" she asked gently.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah." Sirius took another moment to pull himself together before sitting up. He winced and hissed in pain.

"Take it easy," Callie said. "You don't look good."

He smirked a bit weakly. "Nice to see you, too."

Callie stood and offered him her hand. He took it, and she helped him up. He swayed a little, and she wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him. "We're about a twenty minute walk to Hogwarts," she said. "Think you can make it?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he assured her.

She wasn't reassured.

They trekked through the Forbidden Forest. Animals howled, and unknown eyes stared at them from the foliage. For the most part, they ignored the strange beasts lurking around them. Quite suddenly, almost as if the forest had been cut by a knife, they were out. The brightly-lit windows of Hogwarts shone on the hill before them, welcoming them. Both had their wands out. Until they got through the protective barrier around the school, they could still be attacked.

Thankfully, no such enemies challenged them. The walk up the hill was exhausting, and Sirius nearly fell a few times, but they eventually made it through the doors.

"Potter." The oily voice of the caretaker greeted them in the hall. "And Mr. Black. Not here to break more school rules, I hope."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yes, Filch, I've been so bored lately I thought I'd come back for a romp."

Callie sighed in impatience. "Just take us to Dumbledore."

"The Headmaster's in his office," Filch said. "You know where it is."

They climbed the moving staircases up two flights without meeting anyone. Sirius gripped the guardrail so hard his knuckles were white. Callie kept an arm firmly around his waist.

"Black!" a sharp, Scottish voice cut through the silence. "Potter. What on earth-"

They turned to see Professor McGonagall striding toward them, mouth a thin line, brow furrowed in concern. Sirius' eyes lit up when he saw her. He gave her a cocky grin.

"Sirius, we heard you were missing," she said.

Sirius shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint, Professor."

She gave him a stern look. "Miss Potter, I will escort Mr. Black to the Hospital Wing. He needs medical attention. You report to the Headmaster and join him when you're done."

She still treated them like students, but neither of them really minded. She took Callie's place beside Sirius and practically carried him to the Hospital Wing herself. Callie watched them and laughed when Sirius shot her a pleading look behind McGonagall's shoulder.

Callie ascended the stairs until she got to the Headmaster's office. She gave the password, and rode the steps to the top. The door was open, and Dumbledore was waiting for her.

"Another Horcrux has been destroyed, Sir," she reported. "Tom Riddle's diary. And I've discovered the identity of the final Horcrux."

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm very impressed you managed it, Callie. And Sirius?"

She smiled a little. "He's alive. McGonagall actually just took him to the Hospital Wing."

The Headmaster's smile grew. "I'm very pleased to hear that. You can give your report and share your findings later. For now, I believe you need medical attention." He winked. "I'm sure Sirius could use your company after so long with his extended family."

Callie hesitated, but nodded. "Thank you, Sir." She made her way back down the stairs and through the halls of Hogwarts. The Christmas decorations were being taken down in preparation of a new term. It was warm, welcoming, familiar. She remembered her days there, running through the halls, getting scolded, spying on her brother and his friends in her First and Second Year. It seemed so long ago. A different lifetime, almost.

She arrived at the doors of the Hospital Wing. There, she hesitated again before entering. Madam Pomfrey, in her too-familiar nurse's uniform, was bustling around the room, tending to the tree patients she had at the moment. Sirius was sitting in farthest bed. Callie walked over to him.

He smiled when he saw her. "Apparently, I'm perfectly fine."

"No, you are not, Mr. Black!" Madam Pomfrey shouted from across the room. "You've sustained severe internal damage! If you don't stay put for once in your life, I shall have to put a full body-bind on you!"

"For heaven's sake, woman, I'm an adult!" Sirius shouted back. He rolled his eyes. "I swear these people never change."

The nurse walked back and fairly shoved a steaming potion in his face. "Adult or not, Sirius Black, you are _my_ patient! Honestly, the number of times I had to tell you and Mr. Potter to _be careful_ …" She looked at Callie and assessed her in a moment. "You've bruises on your neck, Miss Potter. I'll have to treat that." She turned back to Sirius. "Why couldn't you have been like Miss Potter here? Model student in her day. Never in here for anything but head colds."

Sirius raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I don't know about that."

"It's true!" Pomfrey spun back to Callie. "Miss Potter, I've-"

"Students out of bed!" Filch shrieked from door. "Two of 'em! Fell down the stairs!"

Madam Pomfrey rushed to meet him. "For goodness sake, Mr. Filch, bring them here! Miss Potter, see to Mr. Black, won't you!?" She tore out of the room, presumably to see to these unfortunate students.

Callie and Sirius looked at each other for a moment before laughing. "I can't believe she hasn't had a heart attack by now, the way she worries," Sirius said.

"It's thanks to her worrying that you, James, Remus, and Peter survived school," Callie reminded him. "You owe her a debt. So what's she done to you so far?"

"Stopped the bleeding, given me something for pain that makes me a bit lightheaded, threatened to give me something to cry about, and left you in charge," Sirius reported. "Unfortunately for us, there are students present, so we'll have to keep this PG." He winked.

Callie slapped his shoulder. Sirius winced as she hit the knife wound. She grinned. "Oh, sorry, did that hurt?"

"I'd prefer Bellatrix."

"No, you wouldn't." Callie looked at the little table Pomfrey had set up and identified the mixture to close Sirius' cuts. She dabbed a cloth into it and turned back to him. "Be still."

"No promises."

Callie rolled her eyes. She gently pressed the cloth to the wound in his shoulder. She purposefully avoided looking at his face.

"Are you going to tell me what you were doing at that Manor?" he asked, his voice quieter than before. "Because it sounded to me like you were looking for me."

She shrugged. "James asked me to."

"Liar," he accused.

"He did."

"You were worried about me. Admit it."

She rolled her eyes again. "Maybe I was a little worried about you," she admitted. "But only because you're Harry's godfather and he would be distraught if he didn't get to thank you for his Christmas present."

Sirius smiled a little. She felt him touch the edge of her collar, where thin, silver chain hung around her neck. "Speaking of Christmas presents… I see you got yours. Do you like it?"

She pushed his hand away. "Yes, I do like it. It's beautiful." She felt him stare at her. It made her face heat up.

"Look… maybe it's just that I thought I would die there, but… I swear I've never seen anyone look as lovely as you did stabbing that bloody Horcrux." Sirius grinned.

Callie laughed. "Yep, I was afraid of that. I was afraid they'd torture you to insanity."

Sirius let out a bark of a laugh. "We're all a little bit mad, love." His hand grazed her cheek, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She froze. "Look at me," he asked. She hesitantly raised her eyes. Sirius smiled softly. "You're trembling again," he whispered.

"And you look like Hippogriff dung," she said, but she didn't sound genuine even to her own ears.

Sirius smirked. "Well, you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She blushed deeply. His smirk widened and he leaned forward.

"Padfoot!" a voice shouted from across the room. Callie jerked away, cheeks flaming. Sirius reluctantly let her go and looked over in time to see James skid to a halt by the bed. He panted hard, clearly having just run up several flights of moving stairs. "First of all, get your hands off my sister! Secondly, WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

Sirius held his hands up. "Hands off. Not dead. Happy?"

James glared, then grinned, then embraced his best friend roughly. Remus and Peter materialized on the other side of the bed, having crept up almost silently compared to James' obtrusive entrance.

"We really did think you were dead," Remus said seriously. "What happened?"

Sirius pushed James away after squeezing him tightly and shook Remus' hand. "Funny story… Wait, Prongs, what are you doing here?"

"Dumbledore sent an owl and said you were back! Like I wasn't going to come and make sure! What if you'd been a Death Eater in disguise!?" He turned to his sister. "Is he a Death Eater in disguise?"

Callie shook her head, standing and backing up to give the newcomers room. "I don't think so, James."

"What happened?" Peter asked again.

"They set a trap for me," Sirius admitted. "They tried to find out information like where you lot are, where Harry is, and all that rubbish. But here's the cool part. Prongs, your little sister just faced down bloody Voldemort and bloody won!"

James and Remus both looked at Callie in amazement. Feeling a bit sheepish under so much attention, Callie took a step back and shifted her weight a bit. "It wasn't that big a deal," she said.

"Wasn't that big a deal?" Sirius repeated. "Listen to her. Ridiculous. So here's how it happened."

"Wait, Padfoot," James interrupted. "You're saying you were saved a girl?"

"No, you prat, I was aided by an Auror, who I taught everything she knows. Get it right. So I'm sitting in this stupid basement room, right, surrounded by rat skeletons and thinking about the good old days when Regulus comes to collect me-"

Sirius went on and on, adding far too many details and making it sound much more exciting than it actually was. Remus and Peter both looked at Callie subtly and smiled knowingly. She realized after a while that, really, this was their moment. The Marauders' reunion at Hogwarts. The Animagi. She still couldn't quite believe that.

McGonagall would have a heart attack when saw them all there.

Callie smiled to herself, and made a quiet exit. She made her way slowly back to Dumbledore's office to give him a short briefing.

Lily's words whispered in her mind, unbidden.

" _Everyone dies sometime. If Sirius died tomorrow, would you have any regrets?"_


	13. Loss and Comfort

February 14 – 16, 1990

Callie woke rather late. The sun already poured through her window. She groaned slightly as she pushed herself out of bed. Her arms and legs ached from the strain of her previous assignment: combing every stupid inch of Hogwarts to find one of the last Horcruxes. Dodging students didn't make things any easier. When Dumbledore had demanded she go home and rest for a few days, she hadn't had any luck.

She pulled a shirt on over her thin sleep shirt and buttoned it half-way before ambling downstairs for breakfast. Harry passed her at the foot of the stairs, wishing her a hasty good morning. Delicious smells wafted from the kitchen.

"Good morning, Callie," Lily said brightly. "Sleep well?"

"Very well, thanks." Mind still cloudy from sleep, Callie immediately poured herself a mug of strong, black tea, noticing nothing else until half the scalding cup was empty.

It was then that she saw James and Sirius grinning at her from the kitchen table.

Suddenly very awake, her hand flew to the top half of her shirt and pulled it closed awkwardly. "Sirius," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"Dropped by for breakfast," he said casually. "What are you doing here?"

"Dumbledore's orders. Shouldn't you be on a case?"

"We're experiencing a bit of a lull at the moment, actually. I haven't had anything for a couples days now."

Lily pushed a steaming plate into Callie's hands and gave her a gentle push toward the table. Callie slowly took a seat at the table between Sirius and James. Lily tidied up quickly and poured herself another cup of tea as the owl post came in. She busied herself opening letters.

"The Auror Office must be overstaffed if they're not giving you anything," Callie said.

"We do have fresh blood," Sirius admitted. "Thankfully I've avoided an apprentice thus far."

A crash caused them all to immediately turn to Lily. She was pale as a sheet, eyes shining with tears.

"Lily?" James asked, standing and rushing to her side. "What is it?"

She struggled to find words. "It's… it's Peter," she answered, voice shaking. "He's… he's dead."

The funeral was held two days later, in the cemetery down the street from Lily and James' house. It was a small gathering. The scent of earth rose around them. Horrible, stifling. Like death.

Lily and Mrs. Pettigrew alone shed tears during the burial.

James was stony-faced, body tight as a cord. His jaw clenched, and the arm firmly around his wife trembled. Remus' eyes were downcast, fixed on the ground, his shoulders slumped under a tremendous weight. Sirius' eyes gleamed dangerously, mouth twitching as he continuously repressed a vicious, angry sneer. Callie couldn't look any of them in the eye. She couldn't take her eyes off the coffin as it was lowered into the ground. Every drum as the shovelfuls of dirt landed on the wooden surface of the box echoed in her mind and went straight to her heart.

Mrs. Pettigrew went home, accompanied by an old friend. The others went to the Potter's house for a small gathering to remember their friend.

They toasted with mugs of butterbeer, and tried to substitute laughter for tears. They dusted off old stories for retelling. They cracked jokes and misquoted their friend and tried to celebrate his life.

Clearly, the shock hadn't worn off yet.

Callie stayed on the edge of the room, and couldn't bring herself to join in. She was removed from the memories they shared by six years. She didn't remember those moments they had with Peter.

And they didn't remember hers, either. They didn't remember how Peter would sit with her on the couch under a blanket and make her hot chocolate when she couldn't fall asleep. They didn't remember the times he fell back from the group in his Sixth Year to help her through her First. They didn't remember how he felt like the Sorting Hat had made a mistake with him, too. They didn't remember the Peter Pettigrew she knew, with his kind eyes and his quiet courage.

Dumbledore came and gave his condolences. He said a few words about the great man Peter was. Immediately after, he jumped into the vital business of finding another Secret Keeper for the Potters.

"I'll do it," Callie said at once.

Everyone looked at her in concern. It was the first time she'd spoken since they returned from the funeral. No one seemed to think it was an excellent idea.

"I'm not sure that's best, Callie," Dumbledore said gently. "You deal with Death Eaters on a daily basis. If one thing went wrong, it could be catastrophic."

She knew he was right, and she hated it. She stepped back again. Dumbledore continued. Sirius' eyes lingered on her for several moments after.

Remus was chosen as the new Secret Keeper as he was planning on going into hiding the next week anyway. Callie pointedly avoided everyone's gaze for the remainder of the procedure. It was over in half an hour, and Dumbledore left.

The party slowly broke up. Sirius grabbed his coat and pulled it on. He walked over to Callie.

"Hey," he said gently. "What are your plans for tonight?"

Callie shook herself and glanced up, getting no farther than his chin, avoiding his eyes at all cost. "I need to check on Mrs. Pettigrew," she said.

"Mrs. Pettigrew is staying with a friend," Sirius said. He regarded her for a moment, seeing the thinly veiled pain and sadness in her eyes.

"I should still check on her."

Her voice sounded dead, and it broke Sirius' heart. "And after that?"

She shrugged. "I'll go home."

Sirius flicked his wand and summoned her coat for her. "Come on. I'll walk you home. You shouldn't be alone tonight."

Callie couldn't find it in herself to argue. She accepted her coat wordlessly, slipping it over her arms. She still felt cold.

They said goodbye to James, Lily, and Remus, and stepped out into the quickly darkening evening. It occurred to Sirius that he had no idea where she was staying. He asked, and she simply answered that she'd been staying at Hogwarts or with the Pettigrews', depending on the evening. Sirius knew they couldn't go the Pettigrews', and Hogwarts would be miserable with all the students, not to mention Dumbledore, running around. He asked her if she was okay with staying with him for the night. She nodded very slightly, and wordlessly, but he took it to mean yes.

He took her hand and apparated to his own home; a little flat in a busy Muggle neighborhood on the tenth floor of a high-rise. He led her inside. It wasn't as crowded as the safe house, as he tried to keep it as neat as he could. He pulled his coat off and tossed it over the back of a chair before heading for the kitchen.

"Make yourself at home," he said.

Callie looked around, curiosity seeping through her grief. She took her coat off and set it next to Sirius.' Moving pictures hung on the wall and sat on the end tables. She examined each one. One in particular caught her attention.

A much younger Sirius, around sixteen or seventeen, with each arm around two people she saw often in James and in her own reflection. Her mother and father beamed and waved at whoever took the photo. They were saying something, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Before she knew it, the photograph was in her hands.

"That's one of my favorites." Callie turned and saw Sirius walking in, a pot of tea, two mugs, two bottles of butterbeer, and two bottles of Firewhiskey gliding through the air in front of him. He set them lightly on the coffee table and looked at the picture over her shoulder. "They were two of the best people I've ever met." He looked at her, and saw the tears in her eyes as she stared into the faces of her parents. He wondered how much she remembered of them. She was only fourteen when they had died. It was so cruel that she had so few years with them. "You must miss them terribly."

Callie nodded slowly. A tear splashed onto the glass between the frame, and she quickly wiped it off. She hung the frame back on the wall. Her eyes found the assortment of drinks in front of the couch and she chuckled.

"Overachiever much?"

Sirius shrugged. "I didn't know what you'd be in the mood for." He had his guess, though. Call it a hunch or paranoia, but he had a feeling she'd go for all the Firewhiskey he possessed. He picked up a bottle of butterbeer and poured it into a mug for himself. If they both got drunk, it would be a disaster. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head. She wasn't thirsty, either, but the Firewhiskey did look good.

Sirius sat down in a chair facing the couch. He didn't want to get too close to her and scare her off. She was devastated (so was he), and what she needed was a friend. "I know you had a different relationship with Pete," he said. "I thought you might like to talk about him."

Callie hesitated. She picked up the bottle of Firewhiskey and uncorked it. It burned on the way down, and she welcomed the distraction. She sank onto the couch and pulled her feet up under her.

"Peter was a good friend," she stated. "He listened. He checked on me the most after my parents died. He always… made time for me. He was so kind…"

Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill over. She fought them back mercilessly, refusing to allow them to escape. She swallowed another mouthful of alcohol to distract herself. It was harder to keep it together with Sirius looking at her so intently.

"If I had just…" The words caught in her throat. Unbidden, tears escaped her eyes and slid down her cheeks. "If I had just been there…" She put her face in her hand and tried to stifle a sob. Her shoulders shook under the weight.

The fact that she blamed herself cut Sirius to his core. He stood up and moved over to her, kneeling in front of her between the couch and the coffee table. He took her arms to get her attention. "Callie, this was not your fault," he said in earnest. "Okay? Pete left hiding. You can't bear the weight of that responsibility."

The tears rolled down her face, splashing into her lap. Her body was wracked with sobs. Some part of Sirius felt guilty for not feeling this much pain over Peter's death. Pete had been one of his oldest friends, after all, even if they weren't that close. He hated the part of him that was relieved it wasn't James or Remus or Lily or – God forbid – Callie in that coffin under the earth.

"He was going to see a Muggle girl," Callie said between sobs. "They met a few years ago. She was all he talked about this past year. He wanted to see her on Valentine's Day. He told me he was going and I didn't stop him!"

So that's why Peter hadn't just changed into a rat and run away. He'd been protecting whoever that girl was. Sirius' gut clenched. He swore softly. "Merlin… I didn't realize…"

"She couldn't even come to the funeral," Callie sobbed. "She loved him and she couldn't even be there to say goodbye…"

Sirius had not been at all prepared for that news. Everything in his life seemed so futile all of a sudden. Every reason he had for not doing the things he wanted crumbled like dust in the wind.

Callie wiped her face and took quivering breaths to calm herself. "Do you know who did it?" she choked.

Sirius cleared his throat to dislodge the lump in it. "No. We're still investigating."

She nodded briefly. "Was there anyone else with him when he…?"

He knew what she was really asking. "No," he said heavily. "They didn't kill the girl he was with."

She nodded again. Her body trembled like a leaf. Sirius glanced back at the picture they'd been looking at moments ago. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had been taken by illness. They were gone so suddenly. It felt like half the people he'd met at Hogwarts were now six feet underground. Somehow the people he loved most had for the most part escaped destruction, but how long would that last? Everyone was only a heartbeat away from being taken from him forever.

"I-I should report to Dumbledore," Callie said quietly. She stood up and walked to the door. "There're only two left, and this can all be over."

Sirius stood quickly. "Don't." The word was out of his mouth before he could stop it. "Don't go."

He had some respect for others. He wasn't about to make a proclamation of love while they mourned their dead friend. But he'd be damned if he let her go back out there.

Callie finally raised her eyes and looked at him. She saw the fear, the grief. He wasn't trying to hide it anymore. Sirius Black was terrified. And somehow, it broke her heart more than it already was.

" _Everyone dies sometime…"_

Tears filled her eyes again and slid down her face. She nodded once and wiped them away with her free hand. Sirius closed the space between them. He gently cupped her face between his hands and wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs. His own eyes stung and his vision blurred. He felt her hands press against his chest and grip his shirt tightly.

She didn't want to go, either.

Sirius pressed a kiss to her forehead and slid his arms around her. He held her tightly; as if afraid she'd disappear. Her arms pressed between them, gripping his shirt with a desperate need to know he was alive. Callie didn't see the tears fall from his eyes, but she felt them splash against her shoulder. She fisted his shirt tighter and leaned into his embrace.

How long they stayed like that, neither of them knew. Their grief turned time unrecognizable.


	14. The Hogwarts Express

September 1, 1991

Death Eater activity had been deadly quiet since the beginning of the year, when the Diadem of Ravenclaw had at last been located and destroyed. Voldemort slunk into hiding, dragging his snake, the last known Horcrux, with him. The Auror Office had poured over every hide out, every location connected with the Dark Lord, but to no avail. There hadn't been a single sighting of him, or of the Dark Mark, since March.

The Wizarding World was beginning to grow complacent again. Maybe Voldemort had been killed? Maybe it was all over? Maybe he would just stay gone?

Callie rejoined the Auror Office in April, helping different teams attempt to track down the whereabouts of the missing enemy. Sirius continually argued with James and Lily, telling them to stay put until they were certain they were safe. But Harry received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, and the strict rule was broken. James and Lily were allowed to accompany their son to Diagon Alley, under careful watch by a team of no less than four Aurors.

Callie and Sirius met at the Potter home early the morning of September first. Lily ran around, making sure he had everything. James looked much less than enthusiastic about this arrangement.

"Why can't we just take him to Hogwarts ourselves?" he demanded. "We're all but certain Voldemort will attack that train-"

"Mate, you know how this works," Sirius argued. "We've got eight Aurors, including us, on board that train, and six more flying around it. Moody will be there. Shacklebolt will be there. It's the safest place for him."

"And this way, he gets a normal start," Callie added.

James and Lily were very reluctant to agree, but they took Harry to the train station nonetheless. Harry seemed very embarrassed that he was being escorted around like the Prime Minister, but he put up with it. He hugged his father and mother tightly on the platform.

Lily hugged her son fiercely. Callie and Sirius stood by, waiting for their goodbyes to be said, before departing.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it, Prongs?" Sirius said, looking at the train puffing away.

James looked uncharacteristically pale. "Just keep him safe."

Sirius looked back at his friend, and saw the fear and worry in his eyes. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "James. I swear to you that I will keep Harry safe."

The two stared hard at each other for a long moment. James seemed to feel a bit better. A little color returned to his face. He nodded once, eyes hardening into confidence.

Callie heard the train whistle blow, and gently ruffled Harry's hair. "Come on, Harry. It's time to go." Harry let go of his mother and took hold of his trunk. He ran for the train, Sirius following him, laughing. Callie turned to her brother and sister in law.

"Callie-" Lily began in that begging tone that tore at Callie's heart, doe eyes pleading.

"I promise you both, no matter what happens…" She wrapped an arm around each of them. "Sirius and I would both sell our lives dearly to protect Harry," she swore fervently. "As long as there is life in either of us, Harry will be safe." She pulled away and grinned. "They'll have to pry him out of our cold, dead arms."

"Somehow, that's not very reassuring," Lily confessed.

"Be careful," James pleaded.

"We will!" She turned and saw the train pulling out of the station. "See you both soon. Stay with your Auror on the way home!"

Callie took off and leapt through the open train door as it picked up speed. Mind swirling with memories, she walked through the center aisle toward the back. She passed the closed doors of the first compartment, where all Seventh Year students were being briefed on what to do in case of an attack on their way. Another Auror made sure the protective spells were still holding.

She nodded to Moody, standing guard at the very back of the train, and ducked into the very last compartment. Harry and Ron sat across from each other, closest to the door. Callie took the seat next to Ron, across from Sirius.

"What if I'm not in Gryffindor?" Harry was saying. "I'm pretty sure Dad would kick me out."

"No, he wouldn't," Sirius insisted, chuckling. "He makes a big deal of it, but look at your aunt! She was in…" He trailed off, and looked around shiftily before making a show of whispering, " _Slytherin!"_

Harry gasped and looked at his aunt. "You were!?"

Callie nodded. "I sure was. And I turned out alright, didn't I? Your dad still loves me, as far as I know." She winked. "You'll be just fine."

"Even if you wind up in Hufflepuff," Sirius added. "Everyone will still be just as proud of you."

The green, rich countryside sped past them. The trolley lady stopped by, and Sirius brought whatever Harry and Ron wanted. He changed seats when he sat back down, choosing the seat next to Callie.

"Seriously, though, what if he is in Slytherin?" he whispered.

"Then… He's strong. He has his father's will." Callie looked at him and smiled reassuringly. "He can stand up to whatever they throw at him. With the help of those dueling lessons you've been giving him, of course."

Sirius smirked. "The one decent thing the Ministry has allowed, thank Merlin. He's pretty good, considering he's eleven."

She smiled. "I knew he would be."

Hours passed. Harry and Ron asked lots of questions, their nerves mounting as every second brought them closer to the doors of Hogwarts. Callie and Sirius stayed lighthearted and hopeful, trying to encourage the two boys.

In late afternoon, the compartment door opened, making both of them start and reach for their wands. A frizzy-haired girl, likely another first year, poked her head inside. She was already wearing her Hogwarts robes. "Have any of you seen all of these Aurors? I think it's a bit much."

Harry and Ron glanced at each other. Clearly this girl wasn't privy to the imminent danger.

"Sorry, but… who are you?" Harry asked.

But the girl didn't seem to take any notice. She was staring at Sirius. "You're Sirius Black," she said, seemingly in awe. "I've read all about you! Is it true you wrestled a dragon with your bare hands? I always thought that was impossible."

Callie looked at Sirius and smirked. She'd never heard that story. Sirius met her eyes and rolled his. "Bloody mosquito," he muttered before turning back to the girl. "I did not. But, I am Sirius Black, so points for that. What's your name?"

"Hermione Granger," she said, stepping into the compartment eagerly. She dodged Ron's legs and sat across from Sirius. "You're an Auror, a crime fighter. You've taken on Voldemort singlehandedly!"

Callie had to turn away and put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Well, not singlehandedly," Sirius replied modestly. "Granger, did you say? I haven't heard of the last name."

"Oh," the girl said, turning red. "I'm Muggle-born."

Sirius and Callie exchanged a quick glance. Hogwarts was the safest place for Muggle-borns, of course, but the girl was still in danger. Callie turned back to her and extended her hand. "Callie Potter," she introduced. "It's a pleasure."

Hermione shook her hand gratefully. "So are you two together?"

Callie blushed. Sirius smirked. Harry made a grunting noise and clapped a hand over his mouth and nose. He turned away, but his shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.

Ron grinned and laughed. "As if!"

"So what are you most looking forward to about Hogwarts?" Callie changed the subject.

"Oh, the classes, definitely!" the girl said. "I can't wait to learn History of Magic, and Transfiguration, and Charms, and-"

A sudden shock struck the train. The trunks overhead rattled. They were nearly thrown from their seats.

Callie and Sirius glanced at each other again, and jumped up. Sirius reached for Harry's trunk and pulled out something that looked like woven water spilled into his hands. He tossed it to Harry.

"All three of you, under that," he commanded. "Not a sound!"

Harry and Ron ducked under the cloak and disappeared from sight. Hermione hesitated. "It's an invisibility cloak," she exclaimed. "But why would I-"

"Hermione, get in," he barked. She jumped at the tone of authority, and obeyed quickly. The sounds of shuffling and pushing sounded from beneath and folds, then went silent.

"I'll talk to the driver," Callie said. She took off down the center aisle, dodging students peeking from compartments and Aurors taking their places. A thump overhead told her at least one Auror had landed on the train's roof, and that wasn't a good sign.

The conductor confirmed that the train would stop for nothing. He'd been put through the best training the Ministry could offer, and knew how to drive a piece of magical machinery and fight off an attack at once if it came down to it. As long as he was alive, the Hogwarts Express would continue to run.

The train rocked as it picked up speed.

Black smoke leaked into the train. Callie tore back in the direction of Sirius and Harry. A plume rose before her and solidified into a robed Death Eater. She shot him in the back with a Stunning Spell and leapt over him.

The windows had been protected against all Dark Magic. There would be no one getting into the compartments from the outside. The center aisle was another story. Columns of smoke rose up throughout the train. Callie reached Sirius, standing guard at the compartment. His expression was stony, but his eyes gleamed like live coals.

"The train won't stop for anything," Callie reported. "We'll reach the station in thirty minutes."

Sirius grinned. "Plenty of time to knock some heads."

"Sirius, don't do anything-"

He grabbed her arm and forced her down as a spell sailed for her. He stepped into the corridor and shot a spell in retaliation. For a moment, Callie let him handle it. She used her body as a blockade. Her promise to James and Lily rang in her ears.

She prayed the three children under the cloak would remain silent.

A figure loomed behind Sirius and aimed its wand. She dove in the way and shot up a Shield Charm. He was quick in recovering. Whoever it was behind the mask was good. His wand flashed like a sword. Callie blocked them all, keeping the door to the compartment in her peripheral vision.

She waited for a green curse to form. As she saw it, she grabbed Sirius from behind and forced him against the wall. She flattened herself against the floor. The Killing Curse sailed over her head, missing Sirius by inches. It hit the opposite Death Eater in the face. He crumpled.

Callie felt Sirius reach in front of her and saw his wand flash. A Stunning Spell, struck the murderer.

"We work pretty well together," Sirius commented, pulling Callie to her feet. "Imagine it: if we hadn't been split up, this whole war could be over by now!"

Callie grinned at him. "Less talking, more fighting, Black."

"I do love it when you take charge." He smirked. "Drinks after this?"

Callie shrugged. "You're buying." A flash of white caught her eye. " _Protego!"_

The spell glanced off, but the force of it hit them both. They were knocked back a few inches, the wind taken out of them. The spells didn't stop. One grazed Sirius' shoulder, and a deep gash appeared, spraying droplets of blood. Hermione screamed from under the cloak.

Callie could feel the shift in him as he stood up straighter under the pain. "I know who this is," he snarled. He blocked another curse. "Alright, _Snivellus_?"

The masked man tensed. Sirius smirked viciously, and it looked more like a snarl. So it was Snape. He was wearing a different mask this time, but it must have been him underneath it.

Snape changed targets. He shot a nasty curse at Callie. Sirius didn't bother jumping to block it. Callie swatted the curse away like a fly.

The cacophony of duels around them began to soften. One side was beginning to take over. Callie's eyes darted to the compartment. Thankfully, she saw no one.

It was a mistake.

"So," Snape whispered, words dripping with hate, "he's in there, is he? Under his father's cloak?"

Callie couldn't help but tense. Sirius looked at her, the picture of calm. "Did you hear that, Cal? He's figured it out. Nothing for it now but to roll over show our bellies."

Snape growled. He darted forward, wand flashing. Sirius took a step back and blocked. He pushed Callie behind him, obstructing her from Snape's view. She dashed back into the compartment and made _sure_ Harry was still there. His voice was only trembling a little. She was exceedingly proud of him.

Outside, Sirius and Snape were throwing insults as well as curses at each other. Snape was far easier to rile than Sirius was. One mention of Lily, and Snape lost his cool. His curses became clumsier.

Callie could tell by the flick of his wrist and his laid-back posture that Sirius was greatly enjoying himself.

Snape changed tactics. "How's Pettigrew?" he snarled. "Comfy?"

Sirius' whole body tensed. He radiated fury. He responded with the same curse that had caused his own shoulder to pour red.

Just like that, Snape had the upper hand. Or thought he did. He relaxed a little, and his curses came faster. He wasn't speaking them now, directing them with his mind alone. "And Lupin?" he sneered. "Still howling at the moon?"

Sirius growled from somewhere deep in his throat. It was beastly, animalistic. He fired a dangerous spell. He was furious, but still perfectly in control of his movements. But he was no longer playing.

"Shouldn't you help him?" Harry whispered worriedly.

"No," Callie replied. She was rather enjoying the show. The duels around them had faded. Only a handful were still going on.

The train began to slow as it approached the station.

Snape fed off of Sirius' anger like a parasite. Neither of them seemed to realize that the train was stopping. Callie knew it was probably best to end this. She stood and stepped out into the corridor. Immediately, Snape shouted the worst curse of all.

Harry panicked. He threw the cloak off and shouted, "Sirius!"

The curse struck the back of the train as Sirius ducked. Snape's black eyes landed on Harry. An ugly grin spread over his face. A moment later, he was gone.

Sirius stood panting, staring at where Snape had been. He turned back into the compartment. "I asked you to stay hidden!" he said.

Harry stared back defiantly. "He was going to kill you!"

Sirius stared back at his godson. Both pairs of eyes were challenging. Finally, Sirius sighed. He ruffled Harry's hair. "Thanks, kid, but I had it covered."

"M-Mr. Black," Hermione murmured. "Your shoulder…"

"Don't worry about it."

"She's right," Callie said. "You need to get that taken care of."

Sirius ignored her. "We'll be there in five minutes," he reported. "Boys, you should get changed."

The train stopped at the station. Callie and Sirius escorted Harry, Ron, and Hermione onto the station and delivered them safely to Hagrid. The gamekeeper beamed and clapped them on the shoulder, exchanging happy pleasantries. He'd met Harry before, and was quite fond of him.

The Aurors stood to the side as the children passed in a flood toward the carriages, or the lake. They watched as Harry climbed in behind Hagrid, and stayed until he disappeared from view.

"Can you believe it's been eleven years?" Sirius asked. There was a touch more emotion in his voice than Callie was used to hearing. His eyes glistened more wetly than usual.

She couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I know." She took his arm and pulled him gently back to the train. "Come on. We need to report."

They helped the other Aurors clean up and assess the damage to the train. Only three casualties, all three Death Eaters. Not a one of them had seen Voldemort.

As soon as they could get away, Sirius and Callie walked down the path into Hogsmead. Sirius commented on how much quieter it seemed now than when he was in school. Lights twinkled from the shop windows. Far off in the distance, they could just make out the Shrieking Shack.

The Three Broomsticks seemed to be doing wonderful business. It was crowded and noisy, just as it should have been. They took a table toward the back.

"Voldemort wasn't there," Callie said once they were seated. "I don't think this was about killing Harry at all."

"I agree," Sirius affirmed. "It was too unorganized." He paused. "I think they just wanted confirmation of Harry's whereabouts. Harry's in danger, even here."

"That's why I'm staying."

Sirius seemed to pay a bit more attention. "What?"

"I'm staying at Hogwarts, Sirius, to watch over Harry."

He did not look terribly happy. "Just when I was getting used to you being back at the office."

Madam Rosmerta stopped by their table, smiling all over her pretty face. "Sirius Black," she said. "It's been ages." She gave Callie a smile, too. "And Callie Potter. It's good to see you again."

Callie returned the smile. "Hi, Rosmerta." She and the barmaid had become friendly acquaintances during her time searching for Horcruxes at Hogwarts. Callie would come in about once a week when business was slower to enjoy a warm mug of Butterbeer and some carefree conversation. "I'll have my usual, please."

"Surprise me," Sirius said with a flirtatious grin and wink. Rosmerta laughed and walked away to fill their orders. Callie noticed how he watched her as she walked away.

"What is she, the one girl you met while at Hogwarts that you didn't shag?" she asked.

Sirius' eyebrows rose as he slowly turned back to his old partner. He studied her for a moment before smirking just as slowly. "Is that jealousy I detect, Potter?"

"Of course it isn't. Just casual curiosity."

He grinned. "Right."

Rosmerta returned and set two mugs of Butterbeer before each of them, and a large cinnamon roll in the center of the table. Sirius asked what it was. She laughed and reminded him he'd told her to surprise him.

Sirius grinned wolfishly. "I forgot you've a devil of a sense of humor, Rosie. Why don't you pull up a chair and see just how surprised I am?"

She laughed. "You're the same as always, Sirius, and I love you for it. But I'm not about to spoil your date."

Sirius smirked at her and made more of a show of watching her walk away. Callie rolled her eyes and sipped her Butterbeer, very unimpressed. He cut the cinnamon roll for them and gave her half.

"You know she flirts to get better tips, right?" Callie asked.

Sirius shrugged. "As she should. If men are stupid enough to fall for it, she's smart enough to use it."

"Look like it works on you."

He smirked and leaned back, regarding her. "You are fiery today. Something you'd like to tell me?"

She shrugged and took a bite. "I guess I'm just worried about Harry."

"You don't trust Dumbledore to protect him?"

"Do you?"

"No," Sirius admitted. "I trust Dumbledore as far as I can throw him. That's why I fought you working with him so hard."

Something had changed between them after peter had died. Or, Callie had thought it did. But for some reason, they just kept going around in circles. She knew now that she liked him, and she knew they were both on borrowed time, but for whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to change anything. And Sirius seemed very content to keep things the way they were.

"In Death Eater activity picks up again, what will you do?" she asked.

"What I've always done, love."

"Flown by the seat of your pants?"

He grinned. "Exactly. What will you do?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Either stay here or come back to the office. I miss the work, but someone needs to look after Harry."

He sighed. "Alright." He took a swig and looked at her for a long moment. "I guess this is the last time we'll see each other for a while."

Callie felt heavy at the thought of that, but she nodded nonetheless. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Don't you get lonely, always working alone?"

She chuckled a little sadly. "More than you know."

"My offer still stands. My door is always open."

"I know. Thank you."

They finished their drinks in silence before paying the bill and walking back into the night. They mused over the fact that Harry had already been sorted and was getting settled into his new dorm. Both of them felt the tension between them, and both of them felt it. Since it was probably their last few hours together before Merlin only knew how long, they decided to stay out and try to enjoy it.

Sirius reached for her hand half way to the Shrieking Shack. She didn't pull away.


	15. Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs

June 25, 1992

The school year had ended, coming and going without much to mark it. Harry loved his time at Hogwarts. It became like his second home. He missed his parents and sister dearly the first few weeks, but his new friends helped him through it. He and Ron got into almost as much trouble as James and Sirius had in their first years.

It just reinforced the idea that Callie needed to keep an eye on him.

Throughout the school year, Callie found as many excuses as she could to take some time off. Meeting Remus at the Three Broomsticks every other month became one of the most looked-forward-to things on her calendar. Sirius did what he could to sneak into every one of Harry's Quidditch games (he _was_ the youngest Seeker in a century, after all). He'd stay late and the three of them, plus Ron and Hermione, would have a picnic by the lake if the weather was nice enough. A couple of times he'd stay even later, and he and Callie would skip down to Hogsmead for a drink. Callie didn't ask why he attended the other Quidditch matches, such as Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff, but she had her suspicions.

She was hired at the end of the school year as the next Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, to her shock. Six years since she'd begun her carrier as an Auror, and she'd only spent two of those as an actual Auror. It seemed a bit pointless to her, when she thought about it.

She sent her resignation letter to the Auror Office at the beginning of May. Exactly three hours later, Sirius turned up. The Minister of Magic herself had sent him to see if Callie would be willing to change her mind. She wasn't. Sirius was not pleased, but he said he understood.

She'd been all but given the Room of Requirement when she began her search for Horcruxes in Hogwarts. It had taken a few months, but eventually she and the Room agreed on what her living quarters would look like. It was all one room, of course, and she wasn't allowed a kitchen. But she had her own bathroom tucked away in a corner, and a cozy fireplace with a couch, chairs, throw pillows, and blankets all gathered around it. She had a wardrobe for her clothes, and the warmest, softest bed she'd ever had the pleasure of sleeping in. Overall, she loved the place. And, all she had to do was walk outside, pace three time, open the door again, and there was the room that held the Diadem. Practicality and comfort in one; it didn't get better than that.

Late June found Callie all settled in. A fire burned in the hearth despite the warm weather, but as it gave off no heat, it was more for ambiance than anything else. All of the staff, except Filch and Hagrid, had left the school, either for vacation or Order of the Phoenix work. They trusted the powerful spells around the place to protect it. No one with the Dark Mark was getting in. Voldemort had found tricky ways of getting Dark Magic into Hogwarts, but nothing he could control from the outside.

Callie sat with a book in her lap, back against the couch by the fire, enjoying a relaxing evening to herself. She'd just checked in with James and Lily, and as they were safe, all seemed right with the world.

Until someone knocked on her door.

With an audible groan, she stood and set the book down. She stood and crossed to the door, hesitating before opening it. Sirius Black stood there, two bottles of Firewhiskey in one hand, a handful of papers in the other.

"Surprise!" he said with a grin before pushing past her into the room.

"Sirius!" Callie snapped. "What are you doing here?"

Sirius set the bottles on the coffee table. "Officially, I'm here to give you this." He held up the papers. "Unofficially, I thought you might be lonely, and I was bored."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Can't you entertain yourself?" She hid the smile forming, knowing that seeing any pleasure on her face at his appearance could prove devastating.

"Why would I when I could visit you?" He grinned. "You're not happy to see me?" He sat on the couch and made himself at home, propping his feet up and stretching out like a cat. He caught sight of her book and picked it up. " _The Count of Monte Cristo_ ," he read. "Is it good?"

Callie closed the door and walked over to him. She knew it was no use sending Sirius Black out into the cold. If he wanted to visit her, that's exactly what he was going to do. She sat next to him and took the book from his hands. "It's brilliant."

Sirius opened the bottles and handed her one. He threw an arm over the back of the couch that just happened to fall across her shoulders, too. "So, got your classes in order yet?"

"Sort of," she replied. She took a drink and let herself relax. It had been like this between them since the beginning of the school year. Comfortable. They were more than friends and they both knew it, but neither one said it. It was a sort of mutual understanding. "I'm focusing on dark relics."

"Not defensive spells?" She detected a note of judgement in his tone.

"I'm also heading up a dueling club to meet every other night. I'll teach spells then."

"Two birds with one professor." He flashed her a grin. "Brilliant."

She returned the smile. She let a little more of her weight fall on his arm as she leaned back and propped her feet up next to his. The leather from his jacket felt cool and comfortable against her shoulders and neck. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the rest of her body's tension slipping away.

"Merlin, what I'd 've gotten up to if I'd had a professor that looked like you," he mused. "One of us would've been arrested."

She laughed. "I'm glad you just had McGonagall, then. Azkaban wouldn't look too good on you."

Sirius let out a bark of a laugh. "I'm insulted! _Everything_ looks good on me!"

Callie chuckled. "Right. Keep dreaming."

"I will."

They stared into the fire for a while in comfortable silence. The fire crackled, giving off mild waves of warmth.

"You know," Sirius mused, "it's a shame you weren't in our year. Things could've been so different."

She smiled. "That would make me James' twin."

He hummed in contemplation. "Yeah, it would. Which might be more of a shame." She felt his fingers comb through her hair absently, and shivered a little at the feeling. "I do like your hair. Being James' twin might mean you'd have a rat's nest, too."

She laughed. "Thanks for that."

"Maybe it's for the best. I doubt you'd have liked fifteen-year-old me. I was a bit of an idiot."

Callie gasped dramatically. "Is that humility I hear? From the _great_ Sirius Black!? I think the apocalypse is coming."

He laughed and shoved her playfully. "You're more like your brother than I gave you credit for, Potter."

She laughed. "Well, I don't think you would have liked fifteen-year-old me, either."

"Nonsense! I heard you were quite the prankster yourself." He grinned. "There are some wild rumors floating around that you found a certain map and snuck down a certain passage into a certain sweet shop."

"It was on a dare!" she argued.

"But, Potter, you were seventeen! Far too old to be engaging in foolhardy things of that sort."

Callie turned to face him and propped herself against the back of her couch with her elbow. "While we're talking about foolhardiness, I heard a rumor from Lily that a certain group of marauding idiots became animagi illegally."

He didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed. "She told you that years ago. Why's it taken you so long to ask me?"

"So it's true?"

He shrugged. "It might be. Would it help if I told you it was for a good cause?"

"Not really. Who knows?"

"Just the family. James, Lily, Harry, Remus, Peter, and I. And now you."

"How on earth did you keep that a secret?"

"Honestly, I've no idea. I've a feeling McGonagall had her suspicions. It was a lot of luck." He chuckled. "I guess someone up there was watching out for us."

"Which animal can you turn into?"

Sirius grinned uncharacteristically slowly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Think about it, love. Do you seriously not know yet?"

Callie thought about it. She thought about his laugh, his gait, his mannerisms. But she hadn't really known him before he'd become an animagus, so she had no way of knowing what was _him_ and what had changed because of the animal. She just didn't know.

"Callie," he reprimanded. "I taught you better than this."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because it's so much fun to watch you try and figure it out."

She rolled her eyes and leaned back again. "You're satanic."

He laughed and rested his head on the back of the couch, closing his eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Callie slid down a little and leaned against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled softly and let his arm close around her. She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. There was something about the smell of his cologne and that stupid, worn out leather jacket that made her whole body relax. She felt _safe._ Like nothing in the world could touch either of them as long as they were together.

A sharp, blood-curdling sound echoed through the halls. Sirius stiffened. Callie sat up. They both stayed perfectly quiet, listening for it.

It came again, this time closer.

Sirius cursed and jumped up, pulling his wand from his back pocket. "Every time! How in Merlin's name-"

Something pounded against the door. Callie knew that knock well enough, and motioned for Sirius to get out of sight. He didn't budge, walking with her. She opened the door. Filch stood outside.

"There's a werewolf loose in the castle!" he shouted, spit flying. "Do your bloody job!"

"A werewolf?" Callie asked, shocked. "Where-"

She trailed off, seeing a pair of menacing eyes glaring at her from the opposite end of the corridor. Her blood froze. The creature tilted its head, then let out a terrible howl. Its long, lopsided legs loped toward them.

Callie grabbed Filch and yanked him inside. Sirius pushed the door closed and pressed his weight against it. The creature crashed against it.

Filch let out a colorful string of curses. Callie quickly cast a silencing charm on him. The beast tore at the wall with its claws, barking and howling. After a few minutes, it gave up. They heard it sniff at the bottom of the wall, then walk away. The only sound that remained were their hearts beating wildly, and the crackling of the fire.

Sirius looked at Callie. "I've got this. You stay here."

Callie scoffed and gripped her wand. "Not likely. I'm coming with you."

He hesitated. She could see the argument going on in his head. But he knew he couldn't tackle a fully-grown werewolf by himself, so he nodded. "Alright. But stay close to me."

Callie nodded. "Filch, stay here."

The usually comforting halls of Hogwarts had turned unsettling. The torches on the walls cast bizarre shadows; tricking them into thinking they saw the werewolf. Not a sound came through the passages. Callie had only book knowledge of the monster to go on, but Sirius… Sirius knew how dangerous the creatures could really be. He knew their bloodlust, their ferocity. And he didn't want Callie anywhere near that.

They moved through the corridors, quiet as ghosts, their senses on high alert. The shadows shifted before them. A long snout came into view, followed by a skeletal head and shoulders and forelegs. The yellow were spotted them. Sirius knew two feet of space was not enough to fight the werewolf. As the monster gave a low growl, he shoved Callie in the opposite direction.

" _Run!_ "

Callie didn't need to be told twice. She turned and took off. The portraits flashed past her. She tore down a staircase and up another one, desperate to lose the beast. She could hear it snapping and snarling behind her.

She lost all sense of direction, taking every sharp turn that presented itself. A familiar tapestry rose up before her. She pushed it aside and dove through, onto the hidden staircase. Sirius nearly crashed behind her. Callie raced along, no longer hearing the monster, but still determined to take as much ground as possible.

Her foot sank through the floor. With a shout of surprise and pain, she crashed onto the steps in front of her. Her momentum carried her body forward, twisting her leg painfully. She heard something snap, and felt a sharp, burning pain shoot up from her foot.

Sirius skid to a stop beside her. He cursed. "The trick step. Are you okay?"

She was pale, and swiftly turning green, but she nodded. She knew they had to keep moving. She tried yanking her leg free, but it didn't budge.

Sirius frantically looked for a way out. The way her leg was twisted, she couldn't get out without causing an incredible amount of pain. The broken wood would splinter and cut her. And she was green already, and swallowing frequently to keep her bile down.

"Listen," he said, as calmly as he could. "It's Remus. The wolf is Remus."

Callie stared at him. "What? How do you know?"

"Because I spent every full moon for years with him, and I just know." He paused. "He knows me. Moony knows me. I can distract him, keep him calm. He just can't see _you_."

Callie's eye widened in fear. "You're not going to face him alone!"

"There's no choice!" Sirius snapped. "Stay here, and don't move. Keep as quiet as you can." He reached forward and set a hand on her cheek. "I swear I'll keep him away from you." He turned to run.

"Sirius!"

Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was pain, affecting her head. Maybe it was buildup of months' worth of tension. She didn't know. But something in her snapped when she saw Sirius turn away.

Callie grabbed his jacket, turned him back to her, and jerked him into a kiss.

Sirius' body went rigid in shock, and it took him a full second to register what was happening. But when he did, he cupped her face between his hands and kissed her fiercely. It was probably a good thing the circumstances were so grim. If they weren't, he didn't think he'd ever be able to let her go.

He pulled away and looked at her for a moment. She smiled a little, face red under a heated blush. Somewhere nearby, the werewolf howled again. Sirius smirked, and winked. He turned and ran in the direction of a howl.

Callie just saw his body begin to change as he rounded a corner. Or maybe it was the shadows.

She tried again to pull her leg free, but it resulted only in causing her blinding pain. She bit back a shriek. Her vision clouded. She quickly descended into oblivion.

Before the darkness could claim her completely, a hand shook her. Two arms, suspended in mid-air, reached for her. She frantically tried to scoot away.

"Callie!" a voice hissed. "Calm down. It's just me; look." James threw back the invisibility cloak and revealed his tangled mop of hair, light glinting off his glasses.

"James? What are you doing here!?" she demanded.

James motioned for her to keep quiet. He told her to cover her face. His wand arm came back out from under the cloak. A spell shot out, blowing the stair to bits. He gripped her arms and pulled her up. After a great deal of hushed arguing and adjusting of the cloak, James succeeded in picking Callie up and making sure they were both mostly covered.

He ran back to the Room of Requirement, taking more secret passages and short cuts than Callie knew existed. In less than five minutes, she spotted the wall at the opposite end of the corridor. James dashed for it. Something long and immensely powerful flew out of the shadows and swatted James in the chest. It knocked him off his feet and sent both of them sprawling across the floor, the cloak fluttering uselessly between them.

Callie hit the floor hard, her head connecting with a protrusion of stone from the wall. She blinked blood out of her eyes and swallowed the stabs of pain in her leg. She frantically tried to find James.

He was pushing himself up from the floor several feet away. A monstrous, bony animal bore down on him. It raised a clawed forepaw to strike him.

"James!" Callie screamed.

The wolf's head snapped to look at her. Before it could move, a huge, bear-like dog sprang from behind it and locked its jaws around the beast's neck. The momentum carried both of them to the floor. The wolf screamed in anger and swiped at the dog.

James jumped up. His body shifted in less than a second. His torso and neck thickened and elongated, his arms reached forward and touched the ground. His legs thinned, and out of his head sprouted two sharply-pointed antlers.

The wolf spotted Callie again, and reached for her, using its claws to dig into the stone floor and pull itself toward her. James – or the stag – raced forward and planted himself between the wolf and his sister. He bent his head forward, antlers pointed at the beast.

The dog jumped onto the werewolf's back and tore. The wolf howled in rage and came up on his hind legs. The stag charged. Callie's heart jumped in fear. If he struck the creature in the chest, he could kill him. But James didn't strike the wolf, instead using his antlers like a cage to block its path.

Callie called to mind every passage on werewolves she'd ever read. They craved human blood. Her blood. If she got out of there, the wolf might calm down. She wiped blood out of her eyes and dragged herself for the nearest door. The battle raged behind her, and more than once she felt something sharp graze her pants leg. She glanced over her shoulder once she reached the door.

The wolf was doing everything in its power to get at her. The stag had a few cuts in his neck and back, and the dog was bleeding freely from a wound in his side. It was a horrible sight. Fur flew in clumps, and blood dripped onto the floor, making it slick. But the noise was the most terrifying. It was like nothing she'd ever heard. Howls and shrieks and growls, like hellhounds.

She pushed the door open and pulled herself inside. She sealed the door with a powerful charm and leaned against it. Her stomach was a mess of tangled, nauseating knots. She listened to the cacophony of animalistic sounds slowly die away. She heard something massive being dragged across the floor. Then nothing but silence.

How long she sat there, alone in the dark, she didn't know. It seemed an eternity. It was definitely more than an hour. But eventually, someone knocked at the door at her back, and she released the spell and moved aside so they could open it.

James knelt beside his sister, cuts dotted across his body, but thankfully none of them deep. He looked her over, and nodded once when he saw she wasn't hurt worse than a cut to her forehead and a broken leg. Without a word, she took out his wand and set to work mending the later.

Their mother had been a wiz with healing spells, and James had picked up the talent his second year, when his best friends were abused at home, or torn apart and put back together once a month. It didn't take him too long to reset the bones in her leg.

"Are they okay?" Callie asked.

James nodded. "Yeah. We got Moony to the Shack. Sirius is with him now." He smiled a little. "Moony's really not so bad, as long as he doesn't see a human being."

Callie was quiet for a moment, studying her brother. "James… he's why you all became animagi, isn't he? So you could help him."

James nodded. "Yeah. Took us three years, but we achieved it our Fifth."

Three years? They'd been twelve years old and decided to do a highly advanced, highly dangerous piece of magic just to help their friend? Callie smiled a little, but proudly. It was just like James to do something like that.

"So if you're a stag, and Sirius is a dog… what was Peter?"

James smiled fondly. "A rat." He took her hands and pulled her up. "The sun'll be rising soon. I should run back and help Sirius get Remus to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey's around, right?"

"No. The only staff here are Filch, Hagrid, and myself."

James cursed softly. "Well, I guess we'll have to do a bit of marauding. Can you get your hands on some potions? Like Blood Replenishing and Pain-Away?"

Callie nodded. "Sure. I'll have them ready by the time you get back."

James smiled and kissed the top of her head. "It's a damn shame you weren't in our year. You'd have made a good Marauder."

She laughed at that and told him to get a move on. It took her a little while to find everything she needed in the Potion Master's storage, and the medicine cabinet in the Hospital Wing. But eventually, she did. She set them all out neatly as the doors opened. James and Sirius stepped him, carrying a mostly unconscious Remus between them. They set him on the nearest bed.

Sirius was covered with blood, but he insisted they care for Remus first. James took over quickly, being the most knowledgeable of the three of them. While he worked on Remus, Sirius reluctantly let Callie patch up some of his cuts.

"James, care to explain this?" he called from the next bed over.

James sighed guiltily. "Remus came over last night and the bloke was really depressed. You know how he gets, mate! And I thought maybe a full moon in the Shrieking Shack with us would do him some good. I knew you were coming here to give Callie that report anyway, so I thought I'd surprise you." He paused. "But Minerva started throwing up before we left and we left too late. We were almost at the Willow before he turned."

"How did he get in the school?" Callie asked.

"He saw Filch coming back from Hagrid's hut and made a b-line for him. By the time I caught up with him, he was gone."

"Why didn't you send an owl and let me know what you were planning?" Sirius growled peevishly. "I could have met you and saved us all this mess. He almost killed Callie! He'll be beside himself when he learned what happened."

James looked over, eyes gleaming in determination. "That's why we're going to cover it up."

Callie gave him a look. "You can't be serious."

James grinned. "'Course not. He is." She rolled her eyes.

Sirius sighed deeply. "Alright. We'll cover it up." He stood. "Callie, come with me. James… just make sure he's okay?"

James nodded. "Always."

Sirius patted his friend's shoulder on the way out, Callie trailing behind him. They made their way back down the werewolf's path, scourging the blood from the floor and straightening crooked paintings. Eventually, they returned to the wall behind which dwelt the Room or Requirement.

Sirius shoved his wand back in his pocket.

"Sirius?" Callie asked. "Is something-"

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her gently against the wall behind her, pressing his lips to hers. Callie tensed in surprised. One hand let go and his forearm leaned against the wall above her head, caging her. After a moment, she smiled, succumbing to the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, fingers threading through his hair. He moaned somewhere deep in his throat, and moved a hand to her neck.

They poured their souls into that kiss, communicating their fears, their relief, their pain, their love. Everything neither of them seemed able to say out loud.

When he eventually pulled away, they were both breathless. Pink colored their cheeks and their hair was messy. Sirius leaned his forehead against hers as they caught their breath.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said at last.

Callie smiled slightly. "You, too."


	16. Career Advice

December 23 - 26, 1992

December blew in with harsh winds and bitter cold. The first term ended, and most of the children went home for the Holidays. The Hogwarts halls were drafty, and required a warm cloak to venture out, even between rooms.

The evening of December 23, Sirius rode up to the gates of Hogwarts on his motorbike. Death Eater activity had been so nonexistent lately that he'd managed to get several days off to spend Christmas with the Potters. But before he could go home, he had an errand to run.

He couldn't help the flood of memories that greeted him as he entered the castle. If he listened hard enough, he could still hear dungbombs going off at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, or Filch shouting at four boys who had their whole lives ahead But he didn't waste time reminiscing. He only had an hour before he picked Callie up.

He knew the way like the back of his hand. The number of times he'd had to traverse it! A few of the paintings on the way recognized him. A princess from the 1500s tried to chat him up. He remembered stopping mid-prank several times to tease her, just to get under James and Remus' skin.

Sooner than he'd thought, he stood in front of the door bearing the words _M. McGonagall, Transfigurations Professor._

"In trouble again, Black?" The picture of an ancient doctor measuring potions grinned at him from the opposite wall.

Sirius smirked back. "Maybe. We'll see." He knocked.

He heard her invitation, and smiled a little before pushing the door open. She looked up, and her mouth instantly became the thinnest of thin lines. But she couldn't fool him. He saw the sparkle in her eyes, too.

"Mr. Black," she said. "I don't remember you making an appointment. What do you want?"

Sirius closed the door behind him. "Carrier advice?" he offered with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders.

McGonagall was not amused. "Out of my office, Black."

Sirius chuckled. "Only half joking." He gestured toward the chair in front of her desk. "May I sit?"

She nodded sharply and turned back to her stack of parchment. She scratched out a few more symbols.

"Are you busy?" Sirius asked, leaning forward to see what she was writing.

"What does it look like?" She flipped the papers over and finally regarded him. "Why are you? It must be important."

"It is." Sirius paused, words failing him suddenly. What was he doing? Why was he there? "Well, you see, Professor…" He trailed off, fumbling to collect his threads of thought.

"It's not like you to be tongue-tied, Mr. Black," McGonagall commented. "I haven't got all evening. Spit it out."

"It's about Callie." Sirius stopped there. He really wasn't sure how to do this.

"Miss Potter?" She didn't look surprised in the slightest. "What about her?"

Sirius hesitated. "Well… I think I love her."

McGonagall held back a smile, and peered at him over the rims of her glasses. Her tone was softer when she responded. "You think you love her? Do better."

He looked at his old professor, and found himself encouraged by the slight change in her expression. She always had held him to such a high standard, and by Merlin, he was thankful for it now. "Alright." He chuckled. "I _know_ I'm in love with her."

She leaned back in her chair, posture still straight as an arrow. "I see. And you want advice on how to handle it?"

"Well… not exactly. I mean, yes, of course I want advice, but… that's not really why I'm here." He paused, waiting for encouragement to go on. McGonagall nodded slightly, and he continued. "Professor, you know me… probably better than anyone. Other than James, Lils, and Remus, of course." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Do you think…" He stopped again. The question he so desperately wanted an answer to was so close to his deepest, ugliest fears, that getting it out was like ripping off a Band-Aid, or pulling out a splinter.

McGonagall could guess what was on his mind. She'd seen those grey eyes clouded with inner turmoil enough times to recognize the vulnerability and self-hatred in them. But he was an adult now, and he had to ask these questions for himself. She wouldn't offer an answer until he verbally asked for one.

She reached into a drawer and drew out a tin, placing it between them. "Have a biscuit, Black."

He took his favorite, encouraged by the gesture. He nibbled on it, barely tasting it, fumbling for a way to explain himself. "They raised me," he said, whispered voice shaking. "They raised me, and they tortured me. My mother and father couldn't even bring themselves to love –actually love – their own kids. They were… monsters." He tore his eyes from the floor and looks right her. Begging, pleading, for the answer to the question he dreaded asking. "Professor… am I too much like them? Is there too much of the Black family in me?"

"Why do you think that, Sirius?"

Sirius swallowed hard. "I feel it. That… hatred. The pride. I _hate_ them, Minnie. I hate the whole bloody lot of those stupid Death Eaters. I hate what they stand for, what they do." He paused, collecting himself. "And I've… I've killed some of them. And god knows even in school… I'd have killed Snape that time and let Moony pay the price if James hadn't…" His voice broke and he had to look away to pull himself together.

McGonagall watched him. He'd been such a proud boy, carrying so much darkness inside him. But, Merlin help her, she didn't think there was a single student she'd ever taught that she was prouder of. He carried more guilt and pain that anyone realized, maybe even himself, and yet he was capable of more love and compassion than he knew. He'd protected little Remus so fiercely, after all, and stood up for Peter.

She let him continue.

"What if… what if one day it overtakes me? What if I can't… be that person that she deserves? What if I fail her, like I failed Remus… like I failed Peter?" He paused at this confession of guilt over the death of his friend, and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Minnie… is there too much darkness in me? Do I have it in me to make her happy? To protect her? To… love her?"

The desperation in his voice broke her heart. McGonagall removed her glasses and polished them on her robes to hide the tears forming in her eyes. When she looked back at him, she saw that young boy, no older than eleven, desperately seeking an answer for why he was placed in Gryffindor. She struggled to find the words to make this man believe, deep in the very depths of his soul, what she _knew_ to be true about him.

"Sirius," she said, voice matter-of-fact, but gentle. "The world isn't split into good and evil. All of us hold both light and darkness inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on."

"Mr. Potter told me that," Sirius said. Clearly he was hoping for a bit more.

"Yes, I know." She straightened her glasses. "The point is: I have never come across a more worthy man in my life. I know full well how much Black there is in you, Sirius, and again and again you have chosen what is good and right and decent. You've made many mistakes, but you always do what you can to right them. You're a Gryffindor through and through." She nodded for emphasis.

Sirius' eyes were wide with genuine surprise. Deep down, he'd been expecting the opposite answer. _No, Mr. Black, you're not worth your salt._ And here she was, telling him he was a decent person.

McGonagall looked right at him and leaned forward, hands cross on her desk. "Sirius, you love more deeply than anyone I've seen. Yes, I think you deserve Miss Potter."

Sirius stared at her for a full ten seconds. He smiled vaguely and either laughed or sobbed; he wasn't sure which. "Really?" he asked, breathless.

She gave him one of her rare, proud smiles, and nodded. "Yes, Sirius, really."

He leaned back and gave a short, surprised bark of laughter. His face slowly broke into a relieved grin. "Don't worry; I won't tell James you like me best." He winked cheekily.

"You might want to Potter how you feel about his sister."

Sirius wilted slightly. "Oh… yeah."

"You know how he is, Sirius. He'll want it to come from you directly, and sooner rather than later."

"D'you think he'll be okay with it?"

"I'm sure I don't know. That's a risk you'll have to take. But no one thinks better of you than Potter; he'll come around."

He grinned. "Well, worst case scenario, I'll just tell him what you said, Minnie."

McGonagall sighed in annoyance. And just like that, he was back. "Enough with that _infernal_ nickname, Black!"

"I know you love it." He grinned. Before she realized what was happening, he leaned forward and pecked her cheek before leaping back and opening the door.

She rolled her eyes fondly and pulled her parchment back to her.

Sirius stopped at the door and looked back over his shoulder. With a genuine smile, just loud enough for her to hear, he said, "Thanks.."

She gave a curt nod. "You've welcome, Mr. Black."

He grinned and sprang out of the door, closing it politely behind him. Once outside, he checked his watch. He'd be a few minutes early, but that was okay. He jogged up the steps, taking them two at a time, feeling lighter than he had in months.

He heard voices when passing the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, and peered inside. Callie leaned against her desk with a small, blond-haired boy sitting next to her.

"You know, Draco," she was saying, "you're not your father. You're free to be whoever you want to be."

Draco had a sour look on his face, like he didn't believe her. "Father wants me to follow in his footsteps. I want to make him proud, but it's not easy when he isn't even home."

He saw Callie smile a little. "I know someone very like you."

He looked up, finally interested. "What happened to him?"

Sirius turned the knob and walked inside the room. "Hey, Cal. You almost ready to take off?"

Callie saw him and her eyes lit up. "Sirius! We were just talking-"

"Sirius?" the boy spat. "Sirius Black!?"

Sirius looked at the kid, raising an eyebrow at his tone. "The one and only. Who are you?"

"You locked my father in Azkaban!"

Like magic, it clicked. This kid was Lucius Malfoy's son. And Narcissa's son. So technically his second cousin or something. What was he supposed to say to that? Callie looked uncomfortable. She'd heard Lucius was locked up, but she'd had no idea Sirius had been the one to catch him.

"Well… yes, I believe I did. You must be Draco."

Draco grit his teeth, expression red and flaming. "My father was a good man, and you locked him away!"

"Was he?" The words were out before Sirius had time to think. "Was he a good man?"

Callie glared at Sirius, but Draco froze. His eyes went wide, then slowly narrowed. He didn't know what to say. The conflict showed in his eyes.

Sirius looked at him penetratingly. In a lot of ways, it felt like looking in a mirror. "Draco," he said, "you have to take charge of your own life. If you don't truly believe in what your family stands for, you have to ask questions and find your own answers."

He didn't know what to say. His gaze turned to the floor.

"Draco," Callie said gently. "Sirius and I are going home to my brother's house for Christmas. Would you like to join us?"

He shook his head. "No. My mother won't know where I am."

Sirius smirked. "I know your mother. She's my cousin. I can send her an owl."

"Absolutely not. She'll think I'm turning into… _you_!"

Sirius couldn't argue with that. None of his cousins thought he was exactly amazing. And Narcissa probably did blame him for her husband's incarceration. "Alright. Fair point."

Callie pushed off the desk. "Will you be okay?"

Draco nodded proudly. "Of course." He walked right to the door with the air of knocking the dust off his shoes. But he stopped at the door. "Thanks, Professor." He walked away before either of them could respond.

Callie looked at him sadly. "That kid has it rough. His father's in Azkaban, and his mother doesn't want him home for Christmas."

"His father's a Death Eater. I'd be more concerned with that, Love. Are you ready to go?"

She sighed heavily. "Yeah. Let's go."

They walked together to her room, gathered her bags, and left the castle. It had begun to snow, the flakes dulling all sound. A thin layer had already covered the ground. She saw the bike and grinned.

"We're taking the bike?"

"She's a little rough. I need to work on her." Sirius took her bags and set them securely in the side car. He pulled out a thick leather jacket, be-spelled to hold up against the chill of December air, and tossed it to her. He swung a leg over the seat and offered her his hand. She smiled, took the hand he offered, and swung astride the bike behind him.

"You don't want me in the sidecar?" she asked, pulling the jacket on. It was far too big for her, but she didn't really mind.

She could hear the smirk in his voice as he replied, "You wouldn't fit! You brought too many bags."

Callie had a feeling he just liked her arms around him. He revved the engine, bringing the metal to life. "Hold tight!" he yelled over the noise.

No sooner had her arms locked around him then the bike sped off. Down the path they tore, the buildings of Hogsmead rising up before them. He drove straight for the first building. Closer and closer it came, until Callie actually began to get worried that they might hit it. Fifty feet… twenty… ten…

She braced herself, clutching him tighter, and shut her eyes. She felt the bile pull straight up, shooting up like a rocket. The air whipped around her. It was exhilarating.

She hadn't flown, actually flown, since her Seventh Year at Hogwarts.

The adrenaline tore an excited, happy laugh from her. Sirius smiled.

He performed all manner of complicated moves, defying the laws of physics for certain. He was so obviously showing off, but Callie couldn't find enough breath in her lungs to scold him for it. He flew like it was his last day on earth. She'd forgotten he used to live that way, too.

Despite leaving early, they arrived at the Potter's nearly half an hour late. Remus was already there, seated on the couch, legs crossed, reading a book with Minerva. Lily came out of the kitchen long enough to greet them. She cast a discerning eye between them, taking in their rumpled clothes and messy hair.

Sirius read her thoughts and laughed. "Relax, Lils; nothing like that. We took the motorbike."

"I swear to Merlin, that bike will get you killed one day."

Warm, familial greetings were exchanged before Callie and Sirius had time to shed their coats. Backs were slapped, jokes were made, and the Holidays were there at last. Sirius, Callie, and Remus would stay through the twenty-seventh. It was a time to relax, to be home, to feel whole. To appreciate having a family. To remember they weren't alone.

Christmas came in a flurry of snow and presents. Harry and Minerva jumped out of bed at the crack of dawn, followed closely by James and Sirius, who seemed just as excited as the children. After presents, they had the biggest and best snowball fight of the year, followed by hot chocolate provided by Remus. They sat by the fire after dinner, singing carols until their throats were hoarse. They went off to bed one by one, until only James, Sirius, and Remus were left. Shoulders rubbed against each other, Remus in the middle with James and Sirius on either side. Sitting on the floor with their backs to the couch, they relaxed into an easy silence.

"I can't remember the last Christmas we all had together," James muttered into the stillness.

Remus smiled a little sadly. "I do. It was Harry's first Christmas."

Sirius laughed. "Yeah. Wormtail insisted he put the star on the tree despite being the shortest person there."

"He could such an idiot," Remus sighed fondly.

James stretched out his bottle of Butterbeer, raising it into the air. "To Wormtail."

Two other glasses clinked against the first, and the toast was completed. Three bottles were drained and three new bottles were brought out.

After all of those years, the number three felt strange. Incomplete.

The fire popped and hissed. The clock on the wall chimed the hour: one in the morning. Time stretched on until finally, a redhead poked around the corner of the stairs.

"James?" she said. "Are you coming to bed or not?"

Sirius grinned. "I believe your master is calling you, Prongs."

James reached around Remus and gave Sirius a light kick. "Very funny. She's not my master."

"James!"

"Coming, dear!" James shot his friends a dirty look as they sniggered. "You're both staying tomorrow night, right?"

"Not if you're planning revenge," Remus replied with a smirk.

"We can move the party to my place if Prongs gets his antlers in a twist," Sirius promised, grinning at James.

James laughed, but shoved them both gently on his way out of the room. They distinctly heard something (probably James) hit the bedroom door after it was closed.

Sirius chuckled. "Ah, marital bliss."

Remus laughed at that, and the two sank back into a comfortable stillness. The only sounds came from the ticking of the clock and the cracking of the fire.

"Congratulations," Remus said at last.

Sirius chuckled. "For what? I haven't done anything heroic in the last five minutes."

"For you and Callie."

Taken off guard, Sirius stiffened and looked over. Remus was looking at him out of the corner of his eyes, but smiling. Sirius sighed and relaxed again, looking back at the fire.

"How could you tell?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was the brushing her thigh under the table, or always picking the seat next to each other, or insisting she be on your team in the snowball fight, or-"

"Alright, alright, I get it! I'm not subtle."

Remus chuckled. "You never have been, Padfoot."

"Do you think James knows?"

"Considering he was pretty quick to stick you in Harry's room and Callie in Minerva's, yes, I'd say he at least suspects."

Sirius cursed and leaned his head back in defeat. "Great. Bloody great."

Remus chuckled to himself. "Honestly, I'm surprised you've kept it a secret for so long. I didn't think you had this much self-control."

"Neither did I, mate."

"How far have you gone?"

Sirius shrugged. "Not far." He saw Remus' surprise, and explained. "I know Mr. and Mrs. Potter didn't approve of premarital sex. I want to do right by them."

Remus' eyes narrowed in suspicious, trying to detect a lie. But Sirius seemed perfectly serious. Remus chuckled a little in disbelief. "You know, Padfoot, I do believe you've grown up."

Sirius feigned hurt. "Me? Grownup? Don't ever say anything that ridiculous again, Moony."

"I mean it," he emphasized.

"Well… thanks, I guess."

Remus nodded and took a sip of Butterbeer. "How long have you two been together? Officially, I mean. Everyone knows you've fancied each other for years."

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, but didn't reply to the innocent jab. "It's hard to say. There wasn't a definite date."

"How did it happen, then?"

Sirius looked suspicious. "You really want to hear about this?"

"Well, I figured you probably haven't been able to boast to anyone about this yet, so you should probably get it out of your system before you explode."

Sirius laughed. "Fair enough." He thought for a moment. "I guess… since Peter's funeral. I took her home with me because I didn't think she should be alone, and we comforted each other. We both passed out on the couch and… I don't know. Something changed." He paused, washing a lump in his throat down with more Butterbeer.

"What changed?" Remus pressed.

"I kept seeing her in that coffin. Every night, at least three times a day, I'd… see her. So I started using every excuse I could find to check on her. Just to ease my mind." He chuckled uncomfortably, blushing a little in embarrassment. "Sounds pretty stupid, doesn't it?"

"In this day in age, Padfoot?" Remus asked quietly. "No, it doesn't."

Sirius smiled a little in thanks. "Well, I found every excuse to see her at Hogwarts, and it was great because I could watch Harry play Quidditch at the same time." He paused, and a small, easy smile graced his face as he thought about the times he got to see her. "I really don't know when it started."

"When did you know? That you loved her, I mean."

"When did I know?" He chuckled. "Oh, Circe, so long ago." He thought about it for a moment. "I think when we brought in the Carrow siblings. I was dueling Amycus, and Callie knocked him off the roof. He was plummeting to his death, and I was going to let him, too. And she just… jumped over the roof and grabbed him and saved his bloody life. Just like that. And then she looked me dead in the eye and said, 'We don't kill people.' Can you believe that? I certainly couldn't."

Remus chuckled. "That sounds like something James would say."

"Doesn't it just? She's a wonder; she really is. Her dueling skill is incredible. She fought bloody You-Know-Who and won! Can you believe that? He was right in her face and she just…"

Sirius trailed off. What was it Callie had said? Narcissa didn't want Draco home from Christmas? Why on earth would she not want her own son home for…?

He cursed and stood excitedly. "That's it! That's it!"

Alarmed, Remus' brow furrowed. "What? What's it?"

"You-Know-Who!" Sirius grinned. "I know where he is!"


	17. The Prophesy

December 26, 1992

Callie awoke the day after Christmas to the scents of Lily's cooking, and Minerva shaking her shoulder. She groaned and stretched and looked up at her niece. Big, hazel eyes peered down at her.

"Aunt Callie, Sirius wants you downstairs! He says it's important!"

Callie groaned again and closed her eyes. She rolled over and pulled the blanket up to her nose. "You can tell your godfather that he is not ambushing me with snowballs this early in the morning unless he wants to be hexed into the next century."

Little feet scampered out of the room. She sighed deeply and settled deeper into the mattress on the floor. She breathed deeply, inhaling the familiar scents of her brother's house, her sister-in-law's cooking, her niece's room, and her boyfriend' leather jacket she hadn't given back, and her friends'-

Her eyes shot open, suddenly wide awake. Merlin's pants, was Sirius her _boyfriend?_ How had that never occurred to her before? She wasn't terribly sure she loved that title on him. It seemed too… informal? No. Unnatural? Closer.

She wasn't sure what it seemed, but she didn't feel comfortable with it.

Heavier footsteps climbed the stairs and entered the room. She rolled her eyes and pretended to be asleep. If it was James, he'd be obnoxious, if it was Remus, he'd let her sleep, and if it was Sirius…

Something wet slid up her face. She shrieked in surprise. A massive, black dog stood over her, eyes peering down at her. She could swear he was grinning.

Callie glared at him. "Sirius, I swear to Merlin-"

He stood right on her stomach and lapped at her face. Her hands flew up to protect her face from his attacks.

"Sirius!" It came out as more of a laugh than a shout of anger. Before she knew it, she was laughing so hard she couldn't stop. With a final, furious push, she managed to knock him off of her and sit up.

He crouched, tail wagging, and barked. She rolled her eyes, wiping her face and catching her breath, before standing up. Sirius changed back into a man and grinned at her. She shot him a glare, and punched his shoulder. He feigned a broken arm dramatically.

"You better not have done that because you're bored," Callie said.

Sirius grinned innocently. "Of course I didn't!"

She was less than convinced. She walked down the hall to the bathroom to wash her face. Sirius followed her, leaning against the doorframe and watching as she put her hair up and turned on the tap.

He'd sent word to the Auror Office that night, telling them his suspicions about the whereabouts of Voldemort. Marlene had written him back around dawn, letting him know the office was planning a raid on the Malfoy Manor, scheduled for the very next evening. They couldn't risk Voldemort disappearing again.

"I know where he is."

Callie looked up, water dripping from her face. "What?"

"You-Know-Who. I know where he is."

She reached for a towel and dried her face off before looking at him like he'd discovered the secrets of the universe. "What? Where?"

"Malfoy Manor."

Her brow furrowed in thought, then lifted in realization. "Oh, Merlin," she muttered. "Are you going after him? You and the Auror Office, I mean."

"No." He stepped forward and smiled. " _We_ are going him."

"That's sweet, Sirius, but I'm not an Auror anymore."

"Come on, this is a special occasion. And I thought the Minister said you can come back whenever you like." He paused, and his smile faded. "Besides… there's something we want to talk to you about. What's your birthday?"

"My birthday? It's July 30, 1965, the day before Harry's. Why?"

He hesitated. "Nothing. Look, get dressed and come downstairs. We need to talk."

She sensed the worry in his voice. It wasn't like him at all. "Alright, sure." He nodded and went downstairs, leaving her to change.

"Is she coming?" James asked as Sirius walked back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, she's on her way." He swung a chair around and straddled it, leaning on the back.

"Are you _sure_ about this?" Remus asked. "I mean, really sure?"

"I'm not sure about any of this! But it makes more sense than the plan we've been operating under."

"I don't like it," Lily said. "I'd just like to go on record and say: I don't like it."

"Mum, what's going on?" Harry asked.

"Nothing, dearest; go play with your sister."

Harry knew enough about his mother to obey the first time. He scampered off, meeting Callie half-way up. She walked in the kitchen. Four pairs of eyes turned to stare at her, and none of them looked terribly happy.

"What happened?" she asked nervously. A scenario occurred to her, and she glared at Sirius. "You didn't tell them without me, did you? We were going to do it together."

Sirius held up his hands. "No, love, I swear I didn't tell them… _that."_

James furrowed his brow. "Merlin's pants, what's happened now? Something at Hogwarts?"

Lily looked from one to the other. They were behaving awfully strangely all Christmas break. Almost as if… "No!" She laughed. "Really!? Oh, you've just made my Christmas! That's-"

"Lily!" Callie snapped.

Remus kicked her under the table.

She stopped, glanced at James, and pinched her lips together to stop her smile. "Oh. Right."

"What? What am I missing?" James asked.

"The plan!" Sirius said loudly. "We need to discuss the plan."

"Right. The plan," Lily agreed. "Right away."

Callie sighed, rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time that morning, and got herself a cup of tea. She took the empty seat next to Sirius. "You're all starting to freak me out. What's going on?"

They looked at each other uncomfortably for several moments. When no one else spoke, James cleared his throat. "Well, Callie, you see…" He trailed off uselessly.

Callie's face slowly heated up under the intense and uncomfortable stares from her family. Remus left the table and returned with a rolled-up piece of parchment. He handed it to her and sat back down. She glanced around the table again. Lily busied herself picking at the threads of her jumper. James turned a Golden Snitch between his fingers. Remus stared down at his lap. But Sirius watched her intently.

She uncurled the parchment and read aloud. " _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have trice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. Either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_ She looked up. "It's the prophesy about Harry."

"Not necessarily," Sirius said. "There was another child who could fit the bill. Neville Longbottom."

"But he was killed when his parents were tortured," Remus continued.

"Leaving us with Harry," Callie finished. "What's your point?"

They all glanced around the table again, and then peered at her.

"You were born as the seventh month died," Remus offered.

"Yes, but I was in my Fourth Year at Hogwarts when the prophesy was made. I wasn't approaching anything. And besides that, it refers to the person as 'he,' and I'm obviously not male."

Sirius chuckled. "Thank Merlin for that. That would make all kind of things really-"

Callie kicked him under the table to shut him up.

"Prophesies are vastly unpredictable," Remus said. "They're about the future; what's more unpredictable than that? And the pronoun 'he' could easily be gender neutral. I've read of several prophesies like this one that included a 'he,' but the person it referred to ended up being a woman."

"And as for the thrice defy business," James put in, "Dad and Mum were asked to join Voldy's side _three times_ , and every time they turned him down."

Callie was beginning to see that this wasn't a joke. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "But I haven't been marked as the Dark Lord's equal by anyone, least of all him!"

"Actually… you have." She looked at Sirius anxiously. "In Reg's letters, he's been talking about you. Specifically, that He's had it out for you since you nearly killed him with dark magic. _Powerful_ dark magic. And you've been destroying his soul piece by piece. He's afraid of you."

"But I don't have any powers he doesn't know about!"

"Actually… you did." James looked at her. "Your Fifth Year at Hogwarts, McGonagall sent me an owl asking about you. She said you've got a talent for the Dark Arts."

The color drained from her face. She swallowed hard. "I've never used Dark Magic except in dire circumstances!"

"We're not accusing you of anything," Remus assured. "We're simply suggesting we at least explore this idea, because you do seem to fit."

"What about that rubbish about neither of us living while the other survives? We've both been living!"

"He hasn't," James pointed out. "You've been killing off bits of his soul, remember? Hell, he went into hiding to get away from you!"

"Remember that summer in our Third Year?" Sirius asked. "When you were afraid of that snake in the back yard, and transfigured a stick into a hatchet to kill it with? We were all so bloody impressed you'd preformed a complex transfiguration without a wand, we didn't stop to realize… you'd cut the snake's head clean off."

Her panic rose like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf her completely. Her throat clenched and she found it hard to breathe. Her face was void of color. She lashed out. "I was a child! I was afraid! I yelled for you lot, but you were too busy playing Quidditch-"

"Callie, no one is accusing you of being a Death Eater or anything like that. We're just saying that you have immense power that You-Know-Who wasn't aware of until you killed a Horcrux in front of him and burned his mansion to the ground with a dark spell," Remus said, trying to soothe her.

"No!" James shouted quickly. "No, Callie, Merlin knows we don't think you're evil."

"Absolutely not," Sirius affirmed. "Just powerful enough to scare the Dark Lord witless."

Callie's heart beat wildly and she clenched her hands in her lap. Could the prophesy be referring to her? Could she be the one to defeat Voldemort? Her stomach churned. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry.

"When did you decide to become an Auror?" James asked.

"Fourth Year," Callie choked, voice barely above a whisper.

Sirius and James exchanged a glance. That all but settled it.

Callie realized Lily hadn't said anything. She looked up and found her friend's green eyes already looking at her, examining her. "Lily," she said quietly. "You haven't said anything."

Lily was quiet for a long minute. "Selfishly… I'm glad there's a chance my son doesn't have to carry this burden, after all. And I hate myself for even thinking that, because I hate seeing you carry it, either." She paused, drawing a deep breath. "If it were me… I'd be terrified. I really don't know what to say other than that."

The friends around the table sank into a deep silence. Sirius saw through his own excitement at having possibly solved a great riddle long enough to see the abject terror in Callie's eyes. And just like that, he wasn't so sure he was right. He reached under the table to take her hand, offering some comfort. She pulled her hand away when he touched her.

Deep down, in the very depths of her mind, Callie had always wondered if it could be her. _Born as the seventh month dies_ … But she'd dismissed the idea. And she realized now she'd dismissed it out of cowardice. She'd rather see her own nephew with the weight of the world on his shoulders than carry it herself. Poisonous self-hatred settled in the pit of her stomach. How could she be so selfish?

"If it is me," she said, voice trembling, "how will we know for sure?"

"Well," Remus answered slowly, "the prophesy seems to imply that either you or You-Know-Who will have to kill the other. We'll know after the battle."

Unbidden, Voldemort's words echoed through her head. _"…the voice of Slytherin pulls you to the darkness…"_

"And if I fail?"

"You won't," Sirius said. His eyes and voice betrayed nothing but confidence. "You're stronger than him." He nudged her leg with his knee and gave her a grin. "And you won't be alone."

"We'll all back you up, if you just say the word," James promised.

That wasn't what she meant. She didn't mean sheer magical ability. She meant willpower. She sat in silence for a moment longer, trying to connect the fraying edges of a tapestry of thoughts. It was all so overwhelming. She thought she was going to be sick.

Callie stood so suddenly her chair nearly overturned. "I'd like to think it over." She walked around the table and out the back door before they could stop her.

She didn't know where she was going. The December wind bit into her skin, cutting straight to the bones. She walked, snow soaking through her slippers. Her feet carried her around the house, through the little gate, and down the street of Godric's Hollow. The sun shone bright from behind the clouds, casting a grey light over the small town.

She didn't consciously tell her feet to move, and had no indication of where they took her. Red eyes stared out of a pale face, boring into her mind. A snake curled and twisted between her legs. A flood of memories pounded her. Ever terrible line of the prophesy falling into place. Caging her like walls of solid steel. Forming a maze out of fate, guiding her toward the inevitable, unavoidable end.

She heard and saw a million things, was a million places at once.

" _That was terrific magic!" James said, beaming all over his thirteen-year-old face. "McGonagall will be so happy to have such a skilled witch in her house!"_

 _The body of the snake stopped writhing, oozing blood into the grass._

 _Hazel eyes darkened in confusion, the pride of a moment before stolen as the Sorting Hat cried, "Slytherin!" They followed her as she trudged from the stool, legs heavy as stone, to the table covered in green and silver. She took a seat and stared at her brother across the hall, at another table. It felt wrong. She watched as his eyes softened and he smiled at her before his attention was drawn away by the redheaded girl a few seats down._

" _Your family's in Gryffindor?" The student was astonished, eyes wide at the scandal. "Then they must be anti-Dark Lord! How can you stand it?"_

" _Well, actually… I agree with them."_

 _She quickly realized her mistake. This child was intimately acquainted with Voldemort's followers. Her First Year became a living hell._

 _A blow landed on her cheek, knocking her down. Tears spilled form her eyes, chocking her, blinding her. She sobbed loudly. Another blow fell._

" _Oi!"_

 _She looked up. A short Seventh-Year boy sporting Gryffindor red ran over, wand drawn. "Who the devil do you think you're playing with!?"_

 _The Second Year Slytherin quickly backed up. "I was just having a bit of fun!"_

 _A hex flew from the Gryffindor's wand. A sardine slid out of the Slytherin's nose, causing him to run the other direction, screaming obscenities. The Gryffindor gently picked Callie up and set her on her feet. He saw her tears, and removed his own tie to dry them with._

" _Hey, Callie, it's okay," he said softly. "I'll teach you that hex so you can use it next time."_

 _She smiled through her tears. Her cheek and arm still stung badly. "Th-thanks, Peter," she got out._

" _Don't mention it." He smiled reassuringly. "You look pretty cool all roughed-up, but you should check with Pomfrey. I'll walk you."_

" _Hey, Pete, what's the hold-up?" Two more Gryffindors joined the tiny gathering. Silver and gold eyes landed on Callie. Sirius swore._

" _She was being bullied," Peter explained._

 _Sirius' face broke into a wolf-like grin. "Was she, now? Did you hear that, Moony?"_

" _Yes, I did," Remus replied gravely._

" _Shame Prongs is off on a date. Guess we'll have to step in." He knelt down so he and Callie were eye-level. "Don't worry about it, yeah? We'll take care of everything." He straightened and ruffled her hair, pulling his wand out with other hand._

 _Remus handed his book to Peter and followed Sirius, heading toward the dungeons._

 _No one was brave enough to pick on her for the rest of the year after the Marauders' wrath._

 _The Astronomy Tower floor rang with sobs. They were gone. They were her parents and they were her strength and they were gone. Dead. She would never see them again._

 _She was completely alone._

" _Your skills are in Charms, Miss Potter, and flying," Slughorn said. "And there's a war on. Why on earth would you want to be an Auror?"_

 _She thought of her brother and his wife and his friends. She thought of her own friends. She thought of the danger all of them were in, the number of graves dug every day._

" _This is our fault," she said. "You-Know-Who came from this house. I want to redeem us, Professor."_

" _Miss Potter, you show promising marks," her training instructor said, glancing over her papers. "O's in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Muggle Studies. Seeker. Not to mention your connections with the infamous Order of the Phoenix. But this is all preliminary, of course. Show me what you can do."_

 _He lifted his wand and saluted her. The duel didn't last long._

The harsh voice of a crow shook her from her thoughts. Just like that, Callie was back in the present. She looked around vaguely. She was in a church yard. A simple tombstone sat in front of her, bearing the name 'Peter Pettigrew.'

Tears leaked from her eyes and fell onto the snow. Peter. Peter's tombstone. Physical proof that he was dead, gone forever.

A few yards away stood a tall, white marble stone. She walked over to it, feet leaving a trench in the snow. 'Fleamont and Euphemia Potter.'

She was undone. Her knees gave out and she fell into the snow. She pressed a stiff hand to her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle her sobs. Her other hand pressed against the marker between her parents' names. The stone beneath her fingers was unrelenting, unmoving, resting above her parents' bodies six feet below.

She wondered if her strength and courage had been buried along with them, under the frozen earth.

If only they hadn't died. If only these past years without them had been some dreadful game of hide-and-seek, and she might find them behind the next tree. If only Peter could rise out of the snow and smile and hug her and tell her it was all a joke. That Voldemort wasn't real. That death wasn't real.

But he was. And it was. And there she knelt, powerless in the snow.

She didn't have the strength to look around when she felt something warm and heavy fall across her shoulders. She didn't even open her eyes when an arm wrapped around her and pulled her against a warm, living body. Her tears weren't stanched when a hand was pressed against her head, holding her securely.

Could she do this? Could she really defeat the greatest dark wizards in the world? Could she even be trusted to attempt it? It all felt so futile. Even if she did kill him, even if she did put an end to all of this, it wouldn't stop people from dying. Her own parents had been taken by illness, not the Dark Arts.

" _Everyone dies sometime…"_

She felt like every life in the Wizarding world was on her shoulders, but the truth was, they weren't. They would all die, no matter what she did. All she was doing was buying them a little more time.

Callie didn't know how long she sat in the snow, tears streaming down her face. When she finally cried herself out, the sun had come behind the clouds and shadows stretched on into late afternoon. She felt the cold seeping up from her soaked pants. She looked up. Grey eyes, calm as the sky above them, looked down at her.

Sirius didn't say anything. He didn't really have to. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and helped her stand. His arm around her never left her, staying firmly across her shoulders as they walked back to the Potters' house.

Lily crowded them the moment they walked through the door. She grabbed a blanket and had hot cocoa pressed into Callie's hands before she could blink. Callie barely felt it. She was numb to almost every sensation.

"Use the guest room," Lily offered Sirius. "She should have some privacy in there."

Sirius thanked her and gave her hand a squeeze. He walked Callie up the stairs and through the door to the right, closing it softly behind them. Callie sat on the side of the bed. Sirius knelt in front of her.

"Love," he whispered softly, "please talk to me."

"I… I can't do this, Sirius," she said, voice deadened.

"Do what, Love? Face Him?"

She shook her head. "It's not just that. Everything just seems so… pointless. I mean… even if I beat him… Everyone still dies. I'm just buying them a little time. Everyone I'd be saving will still die eventually, no matter what I do!"

Sirius stopped. He was dead silent for a moment, scrutinizing her. "That's not why we're doing this," he insisted. "We're not doing this to save heartbeats and brainwaves! We're doing this to save _lives."_

"What's the difference?" Callie asked hopelessly.

"Lives aren't made of nerve endings and organs. We're not robots. Lives are made of moments, memories. Think of Peter! With a little more time, he may have gotten married, had a few kids. His wasn't his heartbeat that was stolen from him. It was more than that. It was his laughter, his joys, his fears. The lives of the children he might have had. The moments he would have had. The things he wanted to do."

She thought about Peter. She thought about how his eyes would light up when he talked about that Muggle girl, how he would never say her name because he considered it a sacred secret. She thought about all of the places he wanted to take her, the things he wanted to do with her. Those dreams had ended with his final breath. They'd been taken from him.

"Death isn't a tragedy," Sirius whispered. "The real tragedy is a life that's never been lived, or dreams that were never realized. That's what we're fighting for. Dreams. Moments. Stories." He reached up and caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. She looked down at him, meeting his eyes. "Life isn't biology. It can't be measured. It can't be contained. It can't be classified. It isn't a mystery to solve, or a puzzle to put together." He smiled softly, and the room around them faded. "It's something to be experienced, treasured." His hands clasped hers, and her breath caught. "It's something to take in your hands and never let go of. Because as much as it hurts sometimes… it's worth it. Because life is… beautiful. And sometimes, it takes someone trying to steal it from you to make you realize how much you treasure it."

His eyes bored into hers and she bit back a sob. He was right. Of course he was. Life was an ugly mess. But it was also beauty, and pleasure, and wonder. It was love and adventure. It was going full steam ahead and never looking back.

It struck her almost painfully that she'd never really looked ahead. She'd never seen herself doing anything more than she was in the present. And now that she tried… she found that she couldn't separate her future from him. She couldn't imagine living without his stupid grin and his silver eyes.

"Sirius?" she whispered, her voice shaking just a little. "Do you love me?"

His hand left hers and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He kissed her softly. Callie's world melted as she kissed him back, hands resting on his shoulders. As he deepened the kiss, her world faded completely. He tasted like heaven and he smelled like home. His hand slid into her hair. She couldn't help but moan in pleasure as a fire sprang up in her stomach, making her hands fist his shirt and beg him not to pull away.

He felt like _life_. He felt like life, and she was sure she'd never live if she lost him.

Sirius pulled away gently, letting just enough space between them for them to breathe. She kept her eyes closed, unable to open them while she got ahold of herself. She felt his thumb slide over her bottom lip, and blushed deeply.

Sirius held her close. He pressed soft kisses into her jaw and neck until he reached her ear. He smiled against her skin and whispered, "Yes. I love you."

Callie pulled his body against hers, hugging him tightly. She kissed the base of his neck. "I love you, too."


End file.
